Pre-season in Swedish football
Swedish football is unique, being one of the few competitions in Europe with a different structure, commonly known as pre-season and regular competitive season. This structure has its own advantages and challenges.
Pre-season in football is the period of intense and deliberate preparation prior to the start of the competitive season. It is the phase where teams prepare in all aspects for an optimal season ahead such as physical (fitness endurance, strength, agility) reaching match-demands levels once again and reducing injury risk; or tactical, where coaches establish new strategies and playing styles allowing them plenty of time to evaluate players’ performance. Also, it is a useful time to foster team chemistry (both on and off field) as well as create the environment for mental preparation, helping players into the right mindset for the upcoming season. Friendly matches during the pre-season is the ultimate opportunity to test all these concepts and fine-tune performance in a realistic yet less pressured setting.
Pre-season lies at the very beginning of the season’s macrocycle planning ranging anywhere from 2-4 weeks. Coaches’ planning would include load progression, as gradual increases in training volume and intensity are managed along with fatigue levels to avoid overtraining (thus increased injury risk) with appropriate recovery windows.
Players will receive specific match playing time, depending at which point of the pre-season period they stand. It is also the time to engage in a more individualized attention to load management; older vs younger players, new signings or those returning from injuries may follow programs with adapted loads. Coaches and medical staff will be monitoring and adjusting the workload through a variety of objective and subjective data using GPS trackers, heart rate monitors, RPE forms (rate of perceived exertion) and wellness surveys.
While most European teams follow a generalised version of this structure, the Swedish pre-season is longer ranging from 1 to 3 months in duration, occasionally with barely any off-season time as some teams may still be competing in European cups. Due to extreme weather conditions, the competitive season has been adapted and extends from March to November. This means both the off-season and pre-season are longer than other European competitions so alternative planning, execution and of course coordination of load management is needed.
Regarding pre-season preparation the format generally remains the same. There is a focus on intense training blocks through progressive overload, tactical development, player integration and friendly matches all throughout a longer period while European teams’ preparation is more time sensitive. The longer duration in Sweden however, demands patience and gradual physical development to avoid mental fatigue.
The cold and snow makes artificial turf training a one-way option which can impact players’ joints and muscles compared to natural grass thus affecting load management. Also, limited outdoor grass training sessions makes training camps abroad indispensable for player morale. European teams however, travel internationally usually for commercial or marketing reasons adding time-zone changes to their well-being and recovery management.
Pre-season games in Sweden, may include local or lower division teams as well as engaging in the Swedish Cup as a more competitive opportunity whereas European pre-season leads directly into the season and their respective domestic cups start mid-season needing then to adapt their load management accordingly
