Courtesy: Sport Grimsby


Ben Mortlock aiming to crank up the fitness levels at Grimsby Town

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

NEW sports therapist Ben Mortlock is settling into his new role at Grimsby Town and looking forward to the start of the new season on Saturday.

The 23-year-old former Hereford School pupil was appointed on a full-time basis this summer after working with the youth team in previous campaigns.

And he has been busy in pre-season to ensure the fitness of Neil Wood's rebuilt squad is prepared for the long season ahead in the Blue Square Bet Premier.

Mortlock said: "I'm settling into the role now.

"I've been at the club for a couple of years working with the youth team as physio.


"It's a great boost for me that Neil and his staff have the confidence in me to move up to work with the first team.

"I want to do my best to improve the overall fitness of the team.

"Now we have a full squad we can start to develop individual programmes to cater for their own fitness.

"The lads have been working hard in pre-season and we had the second fitness test with them last week to see how they are doing.

"To be fair, players look after themselves a lot better in modern-day football.

"Players often come back to pre-season in quite good nick and there's not masses of work to do with them to get back up to fitness.

"There are a lot of midweek games in this league so the work we do now is hopefully going to ensure the squad is ready for that and can recover after each match.

"The lads are great with me and have all responded to the work.

"I think when you explain yourself and players know what the plan is, they are happy to do it."

Mortlock, pictured, is enthusiastic about his new role after studying hard to qualify as a sports scientist.

And he's no stranger to football either having played for Grimsby Borough in recent years.

But his real on-field talent lies in futsal where he represents the England national team as well as Sheffield Hallam.

Futsal is the smaller version of football that is growing as a sport in its own right – a five-a-side indoor game that is played with a slightly smaller ball on a hard surface.

Mortlock has been capped by his country on numerous occasions and still finds time to play.

But it's his new role at Town that is at the forefront of his mind at present and he believes the implementation of new training methods and a focus on nutrition and the right preparation will pay dividends for Woods' men this season.

Mortlock added: "It's a big part of the game now – especially the nutritional side and making sure players eat and drink the right things.

"When I started my b-tech at Grimsby institute, I was really interested in the practical side of sports science.

"I've always been interested in fitness so it seemed the logical progression to try and get a career out of it.

"Fortunately for me, with the chances I've been given, I've been able to do that.

"Even when I was at university not long ago, the sports science aspect of football was not deemed as important as it is today.

"I think it can only benefit Grimsby Town.

"The work we are trying to do with the players to improve their fitness may seem like small percentages but doing things right could be the difference between pushing for promotion and being in mid-table."


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com