The latest from Karen, Juan and the Spurs Women camp

Head Coaches Karen Hills and Juan Amoros have provided an update on how the Spurs Women team are coping while staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The most important thing is the players are keeping positive during these challenging times and have really shown us what a good group we have,” Juan said. “Everyone is pulling their weight, helping each other and looking out for one another. Between the coaching team, we’ve divided the squad up so that we can keep a close eye on every player. There are 22 of them, so there are 22 different scenarios. Some are away from their loved ones for different reasons, some are with their families and some are going through the isolation together. We’re seeing that having individual contact with the players on a regular basis over the phone and via video calls is really helping.”

Speaking on how the players are adapting to their home fitness programmes, Karen commented: “The players are working extremely hard like they always do. I think they miss competing against each other and having that banter together. They are obviously used to being in a group and a social environment, so being at home, away from each other and doing their individual fitness programmes has been challenging, as you would expect. Their fitness plans have been designed specifically for them as individuals and it’s about how disciplined and how strict they are with themselves to be able to stay motivated. Our Strength and Conditioning Coach, along with all the coaches and staff, have been working hard with the players to keep them motivated and prevent them from slipping into bad habits and routines.”

Juan added: “We had an online nutrition workshop with the players, performance analysis tasks, video fitness programmes and they all log their wellness and training sessions on an app which we monitor daily. Our injured players are having one-to-one reviews and rehab sessions with our Sports Therapist and Club Doctor - every department is ticking over and working hard to make sure the players are taken care of.”

Last week, Becky Spencer and Rosella Ayane organised a nightly quiz for the players and staff to participate in with varying themes as a way of keeping spirits up and staying connected.

“It was absolutely brilliant,” Karen continued. “Rosella and Becky stepped up and came up with the idea and it was such a good laugh for everyone who got involved. I don’t think they realised how much time and effort it was going to take them. I spoke to Becky during the week and she told me it had taken them both a good few hours a day to plan, but it’s kept them busy and motivated. I think the girls saw how much light-hearted activities like quizzes can help the group. We have to give them a lot of credit, I think everyone who participated really enjoyed it and laughed a lot. It was something fun to look forward to as a group to come together.”

Juan added: “We all thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it’s massively important to keep us all engaged. In these tough times, the interaction and the sense of belonging to a group is key. It keeps everyone connected and it’s important because when we return to training, it won’t feel like we’ve been away from each other. In addition to the quizzes, the staff have been setting the players a few challenges that involve being creative or doing physical activity and we’ve had a lot of fun interaction from it.”

The pair have urged the fans to stay at home, follow government guidelines and remain positive during these difficult times.

“The main thing is to follow all the advice from the government and try to keep a positive mindset,” Juan said. “When there is some adversity, try to overcome it with the right mentality because there is also a lot of good happening now, lots of people are volunteering and putting their own lives at risk to help others. Be safe, focus on the positives and enjoy that time with your loved ones.”

Karen added: “To the fans, stay safe and stay in touch. Talking is the key. Don’t feel like you’re out there on your own. Everyone is experiencing similar feelings and there’s a lot of worry in these uncertain times, but the main thing is we’ll all come out of this a lot stronger. Try and have a routine, that’s massively important and will keep you going. Stay focussed and use this time to reflect and do or learn new things. It’s a time in our lives that we’ll look back on and will never really forget.”