Clubs must innovate to keep all their players fit and safe

The Covid-19 is still on the rampage and as expected the sporting world is reeling from the devastating effects.

Well established teams have had to cut training as more and more countries get into a lockdown mode.

This is what the Arsenal management had to say after their players finished a quarantine triggered by Mikael Arteta’s testing positive for the virus: “Our men’s first team players were scheduled to return to training on Tuesday after completing 14 days isolation following Mikel Arteta’s positive diagnosis for the virus. As a result of the current situation we are clear it would be inappropriate and irresponsible to ask players to come back at this time. Therefore our men’s first team, women and academy players are all remaining at home. Stay at home and save lives.”

That is the kind of leadership a club’s management is expected to exhibit in such circumstances. Although no player in Kenya has been reported testing positive for the virus, it is my sincere hope that the management of the various clubs are taking cue from their counterparts abroad and restricting interaction more so in the light of the social distancing measures announced by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe about a week ago.

Even so, I expect the technical bench to come up with innovative ways to ensure that the players are in ship shape in readiness for when the league and other competitions will resume in full swing after the lockdown.

Reading online, I see teams in the First World coming up with tailor made trainings for their players which they can access online, in line with the working from home strategy being deployed by employers across the globe.

Other players are using their home gyms to keep in shape over and above the menus their clubs are offering.

Granted, we are not in the same league with such clubs as to offer online training regime, neither do the majority of our players have the capacity to own personal gyms.

However, a simple WhatsApp group can work wonders in such a situation. All the coach needs to do is create the group and come up with training schedules for the players.

Such an application can also be made more interactive with players giving feedback as well as catching up with each other.

The technical benches must hammer into the players the need to be fit for, as a sticker in an American club house famously put it, “the meek shall inherit the bench”.

On top of this we also need to see to it that the players’ welfare is catered for much as they are not playing.

Their failure to take to the pitch is due to circumstances not of their own making and failing to pay the players would only look like they are being punished for the virus outbreak.

I am alive to the fact that our clubs have long been in financial dire straits even when the league was on.

However, we must appreciate that these chaps need to pay for a roof over their heads, a meal on the table and clothes on their backs. Stay safe.

Tom Osanjo’s writing will resume soon