After 136 days away, MK Dons made their long-awaited return on Monday for the start of pre-season training.
In a year like no other due to the Coronavirus outbreak, training will look entirely different for Russell Martin and his men as they prepare for the 2020/21 campaign, which is set to begin on 12 September.
As per the EFL protocols for Stage One of Return to Training, the Dons squad has been split into small groups and while Covid-19 testing isn’t required at this stage, social distancing measures and other guidelines have been implemented.
The players will each receive non-invasive temperature checks before leaving their cars and will arrive in their own kit at designated time slots for training. This after completing an online questionnaire prior to arrival to confirm they are symptom-free.
A one-way system provides safe entry to the training pitch for the players, who will take part in non-contact training drills under the watchful eyes of the first-team management and the Sports Science and Medicine department.
There will be no indoor activity, such as gym workouts, during Stage One and players will return home after training without using dressing-room facilities.
“We have a number of strict protocols in place,” Head of Sports Science and Medicine Simon Crampton told iFollow MK Dons.
“Pre-season always tends to be a challenging period but none more so than this season. We have a fantastic group of staff here and everyone is doing their part in ensuring that we can operate safely and efficiently.”
The MK Dons areas at Woughton on the Green are operating in a Covid-19 controlled safe-zone environment and entry is restricted to authorised personnel only.
Supporters, therefore, are urged to refrain from visiting the training ground during this time, to ensure that the squad can train in a bio-secure environment.
There will be regular coverage of pre-season across the Club’s media channels to ensure fans are kept up to speed with all the goings on as Martin’s side prepare for the 2020/21 season.
