La Liga outfit Real Sociedad will resume training on Tuesday after being on lockdown for more than a month due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Spain’s top-flight has been on a hiatus since March following the Spanish government’s decision to halt professional sports across Spain.
The Basque club, in a statement released on Saturday, outlined a series of precautionary measures that will go into effect as soon as early next week.
Among some of those measures include players allowed to train together groups of two or three, with a coronavirus test upon arrival. Players, however, aren’t obliged to train out of Zubieta (La Real’s training center) and can continue training from home.
Real Sociedad, who last played on March 7 against Barcelona, released the following statement:
“Since the beginning of the current situation caused by Covid-19, all first-team players and those in other categories at Real Sociedad have been training from home due to the protocol established by the Football Direction and those responsible for the Zubieta facilities.
“For the last four weeks our first-team players have been in their homes carrying out the individual fitness programs given to each footballer. The individual fitness programs have been based principally on cardiovascular and metabolic work, which is why the decision was made to take the Zubieta exercise bikes to footballers’ homes and give them treadmills thanks to the loan from GO fit.”
“Additionally, the Real players have received other types of help (sanitary, medical, nutritional and emotional) which have aided them in complementing the individual plans,” the statement added.
“Once the government decides that non-essential activities can restart their work, first-team players will have the choice of continuing their individual workouts in Zubieta from Tuesday of next week. In no way will this work in Zubieta be group-based.
“Training will remain obligatory, as it is now. Every player will be able to decide to continue at home or in Zubieta.
“If they do decide for Zubieta, we will continue to follow the existing protocols, which will scrupulously respect the security measures agreed by health services, which means those players who do opt for Zubieta will do so in an individual, gradual manner.”
