UD Almería B Team 2013 pre-season Training Camp at Desert Springs Football Academy
Following on from the success of their promotion last season to the Primera División (First Division) Union Deportiva Almería (Almeria Football Club) selected Desert Springs Resort to be host once again to the pre-season training camp of their ‘B’ Squad between Monday 5th – Thursday 8th August.
A squad of 25 players and eight officials from Almería Football Club spent three days at the resort for their training camp to benefit from the facilities of the renowned Football Academy established at Desert Springs.
During their stay at the Desert Springs Resort the Almería players have benefited from training and coaching on the Football Academies world-class international-size grass pitch.
An exterior hard standing area provided space for the use of facilities such as a free weights gym, stretching mats and a medical area. The players also made use of a specifically designed grass area for goalkeeper training and five-a-side games.
UD Almería B Team Head Coach Juan Carlos Cintas Góngora
Speaking of the teams experience at Desert Springs, Almeria Football Club Manager, Manuel Mendez and Head Coach Juna Carlos Cintas Góngora remarked:
“The football pitch at Desert Springs is 6 star; we will not play on a pitch of better quality throughout the season.
Our resort accommodation at the community of Las Sierras was very comfortable and we found the sports facilities at the Sierra Sports & Fitness Club sufficient for the needs of our training camp. In their free time, some of the players ventured out to the Golf Academy to utilize the practice facilities and enjoyed themselves.
The Food and Beverage was of excellent quality and was specifically just what the team required.
The Resort staff were very professional and courteous and nothing was too much trouble for them.
In conclusion, Desert Springs Resort is a great location for a training camp. We have held training camps at other locations and all agree, including the players, that Desert Springs is of better quality!”
UD Almeria Training at Desert Springs Football Academy
The training camp culminated with a pre-season friendly match at Desert Springs against Club Athlético Pulpileño with Almeria Football Club winning 6-0.
UD Almería vs Club Athletico Pulpileño pre-season friendly match at the Desert Springs Football Academy
During their stay, the Almeria players and officials were accommodated in some of the privately-owned apartments normally reserved for holidays and short breaks at Desert Springs and the resort’s executive chef was on hand to cater for the special dietary requirements of individual players dining in the resort’s award-winning El Torrente Restaurant.
Apartments at Las Sierras used for accommodating Almeria Football Club
Simon Coaker, sales and marketing manager at Desert Springs Resort, remarked:
“The promotion back to the First Division of Almeria Football Club is an immense achievement and it was extremely gratifying for the resort to be approached yet again by the Club with the request for Desert Springs to host this seasons pre-season training camp.
It is clear to see that with feed back such as this we can only expect to be host to more Club’s in the near future, and judging by the result of the friendly pre-season match against Club Athlético Pulpileño, I believe that we can all agree that Almeria ‘B’ Team are well on their way to a successful season!”
Already well known as a resort specialising in golf and family holidays, Desert Springs is gaining popularity as a centre for warm-weather training for golfers and cricketers, as well as footballers.
For more information about training camps, sports breaks and properties available, or golf at Desert Springs, contact The Almanzora Group on telephone +44 (0) 1242 680 116 or visit the website, www.almanzora.com
Additional background Information
The Desert Springs Resort & Golf Club
Facilities already completed and in use at Desert Springs include:
- a 72 par 18-hole USGA Indiana golf course designed by former Great Britain and Ireland Golf Team Captain Peter McEvoy who was inspired by the desert courses of Arizona and California;
- a golf academy whose PGA qualified teaching professionals cater for several international teams, for the women’s elite squads of the Golf Union of Wales and for many of the English County Union’s elite squads; PGA European Tour and LET players.
- two hard tennis courts, two paddle courts, beach volley ball and two football pitches – one is a full-size international grass pitch; the other is designed for five-a-side games;
- a Spanish colonial style Golf Club House with a lounge, bar, restaurant, locker rooms, TV and reading rooms, and a Ralph Lauren Golf Boutique;
- The Crocodile Club which provides family fun at the heart of the resort with pools, equipped sand play areas, a kid’s battery powered John Deere Gator circuit and a games room as well as a jacuzzi, sun lawns and a pool bar;
- a health and fitness club and spa.
Awards
In 2005 Desert Springs won the Daily Mail Best Almeria Award and the Bentley International Property Awards for the Best Spain Development and Best Architecture. In 2006, it was awarded the Spanish National Madera Verde Prize for Environmentally Sensitive Development. In 2007, the El Torrente Restaurant received the New Millennium International Gastronomy Award for the Tourist, Hotel and Catering Industry. This award was created by the Trade Leaders Club with the aim of distinguishing companies from all countries, for the outstanding quality of their products or services.
The climate of the Almanzora coastal region
Desert Springs takes it name from the region’s desert microclimate, which is unique in Europe. It has the warmest winter weather on the continent with an annual average of more than nine hours of daily sunshine and maximum daily temperatures of between 16°C (60°F) and 30°C (86°F) throughout the year. Annual rainfall is less than 200 mm. The Almanzora’s coastal waters are among the cleanest and warmest in Europe, attracting both fish and diving enthusiasts.
Getting there from the UK
Desert Springs in The Almanzora region is easy to reach from the UK, thanks to three international airports. They are: Almeria Airport, around 40 minutes away by road; Murcia Airport, 80 minutes by car, and Alicante Airport which is a drive of less than two hours. Airlines currently flying to the region from the UK include easyJet, Monarch, Ryanair, Jet2, Jetair Fly and Thomas Cook.
Reader enquiries
Simon Coaker
The Almanzora Group Ltd
The Manor, Boddington,
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 0TJ
Tel: +44 (0) 1242 680116
e: tag@almanzora.co.uk
