Kerry Gaelic Footballers Can’t Get Enough of Amendoeira Golf Resort.
The Kerry footballers return for a fourth time to one the Algarve’s finest resorts for warm weather training camps.
Eamonn Fitzmaurice brought the Kerry GAA football squad back to Amendoeira Golf Resort between 17th and 22nd April for some serious warm weather training. No strangers to the resort, the Kerry Gaelic football squad has now clocked up four training camps since 2010 at the impressive Algarve based venue.
One of the attractions for Fitzmaurice is the onsite Amendoeira Sports Club with its full size, natural grass pitch and genuine Gaelic posts. In addition the fact that the Amendoeira Golf Resort team provides a dedicated organizer during the team’s stay to ensure everything runs smoothly, really clinches the deal.
“The Amendoeira Resort is a fantastic location for a warm weather training camp. The accommodation and food are top class. However the most important thing for a successful camp is the pitch and the full sized GAA pitch is of the highest quality. The staff on the ground are excellent and in particular Marco our liaison for the trip was outstanding ensuring that everything was as it should be for us”, said Fitzmaurice.
The 30-strong squad, which included top names such as Declan O’Sullivan and Marc O Sé, arrived in the afternoon of 17th April and no sooner had their feet hit Portuguese soil, that they were whisked to the resort and then onto their first training session. Trainer Cian O’Neill took advantage of having exclusive use of the pitch and certainly put the squad through their paces – training morning, noon and afternoon on the majority of days and even squeezing in a final hour’s training before they departed at 11am on their final day.
Fitzmaurice fully appreciates the importance of warm weather training camps, particularly for amateur teams which can focus purely on their game as if they were professionals – no need to fit in a training session at the end of a busy workday. In addition, a few days away from the distractions of home life allows the team to really bond and work effectively together. When the Kerry footballers return to their hometown, Fitzmaurice is sure to reap dividends from this strenuous training camp.
Players stayed in luxury two twin bedroom apartments which are the norm on this high caliber resort. Nutritious buffet meals were served at the impressive Amendoeira Clubhouse and Fitzmaurice allowed the team to relax a little on Easter Sunday with an evening barbeque.
The Amendoeira Golf Resort is one of the Algarve’s favoured locations for professional team training camps. A number of top teams have held their camps at the resort including the Dublin Hurlers, the Republic of Ireland U19s Football Team, the Republic of Ireland Senior Ladies Football Team and top UK football clubs such as Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool FC, and Aston Villa FC.
The Amendoeira Sports Club boasts an impressive array of sports facilities including a gymnasium, two 5-a-side football pitches, six tennis courts, a 1km jogging path and a games room. The resort is home to two championship 18 hole golf courses: Oceânico Faldo Course and Oceânico O’Connor Jnr. in addition to the 9 hole, par 3 Oceânico Academy course.
Tailor-made packages are made for football, Gaelic football and hurling teams which include transfers, accommodation, training and meals. Accommodation is provided in spacious two bedroom apartments with communal pools or in three & four bedroom villas with private pools. Healthy sportsmen meals are served at the impressive clubhouse. Off-site excursions and team building activities can also be arranged to suit.
