FREE LIONS

As players return to their clubs, there are hundreds more not so lucky... unattached and desperate to find work... but the PFA has set up a boot camp to get them fit and ready for action

- DARREN WITCOOP

FROM punishing solo runs in a local park to lonely exercises in the gym, pre-season can be a sobering reality for the hundreds of free agents.

But unattached players plotting their route back into the game can seek solace in a training camp.... with a difference. Boasting five-star accommodation, qualified coaches, experienced physios, leading psychologists and even protein shakes, this Midlands base is a world away from life as a training nomad.

Welcome to the state-of-the-art environment set up by the Professional Footballers' Association, the perfect pick-me-up for out-of-work players.

Shane Birtles, personal development manager at the PFA, said: "We want to provide everything a player could ever need for a pre-season.

"We have been oversubscribed with 35 players here a week, training from Monday to Thursday. The demand has grown since we started in June, and the on-site accommodation means players can travel from all over the country.