Why pre-season in the Austrian Alps proves so appealing to Yorkshire's clubs

But, come July and early August each summer, the Alps start reverberating to an altogether different beat as cries of ‘offside’, ‘man on’ and ‘shoot!’ fill the air.

Austria, in recent years, has become the destination of choice for football clubs from across England, with Leicester, Southampton, Watford and West Ham all making the trip ahead of the Premier League kicking off next month.

Increasingly, Yorkshire clubs are getting in on the act with Bradford City and Rotherham United spending last week toiling amid the mountains, and Leeds United set to face German opposition twice in the picturesque Tyrol region later this week.

Huddersfield Town will then complete the quartet of White Rose sides to make Austria their main training base when flying out on the final Saturday of the month for a week-long camp.

It is all a far cry from the days of not so long ago when pre-season meant pounding the Yorkshire streets or local running track in an attempt to get in shape before embarking on a series of low-key friendlies in this country.

One of those who swears by Austria as an ideal place to prepare for the rigours of a new campaign is Thomas Christiansen.

Leeds’ head coach is spending a third consecutive pre-season putting his charges through their places to the backdrop of mountains and meadows after previous visits with Cypriot duo AEK Larnaca and APOEL.

“We are in Austria to progress on many levels,” the 44-year-old Dane told The Yorkshire Post. “It is a very important trip and one that will help us as a team. I have been to Austria twice before for pre-season as a coach and both were good experiences.

“The pitches are normally good, it is quiet and the important thing is there are good games because the opposition are there as well. Teams from a lot of countries visit Austria at this time of year.

“Teams know the facilities will be good and that helps because you have the teams to play against as a test. This area is good to visit for pre-season.

“For us at Leeds, the friendly games in England (against Guiseley and North Ferriby United) were good exercises but these will be different.

“It will be a higher level of competition. How we are, where we stand – all these things we will learn. I will also learn about players in other situations as well.”

Leeds will take on Borussia Monchengladbach in Schwaz on Thursday and then Eibar in Jenbach three days later.

A third fixture was also arranged against FC Ingolstadt but that was cancelled amid fears of hooliganism, a huge blow to the few hundred fans who spent last weekend kicking their heels both in Austria and the Bavarian region of Germany.

Some among the travelling contingent were so desperate to see their side in action to the backdrop of the Alps that confirmation via social media from Turkish club Bursaspor of a ‘behind closed doors’ friendly against Leeds was enough to trigger a desperate hunt for where the game would be played.

All manner of venues were mooted on the bush telegraph that fans so rely on when abroad and information through official channels is non-existent before one group settled on a village in Italy, meaning the quick hiring of two 12-seater taxis and a frantic dash over the border. Others wrongly headed to Seefeld, Bursaspor’s training base.

This saga – caused by the local authorities’ ridiculously late cancellation of the Ingolstadt fixture – was unedifying but clubs are unlikely to be put off heading to Austria in the future with the list of clubs visiting this summer including, among many others, CSKA Sofia, Sparta Prague, Dynamo Moscow, FC Koln and Ajax.

An opportunity to work with players in relative seclusion is a big draw with Bradford manager Stuart McCall, for one, relishing the isolation of Kleinwalsertal, a place so remote it can only be reached by one road from Germany.

In a trip organised by Marc Klopp, son of Liverpool manager Jurgen, double sessions were the norm for a squad in transition this summer following the departure of familiar faces such as Rory McArdle, Stephen Darby and Mark Marshall.

Rotherham chief Paul Warne also made good use of the solitude that accompanied the club’s Lindabrunn training base in the north east of Austria with double sessions, 7am runs and classroom sessions at night.

“It wasn’t a holiday camp,” said Warne, whose players were the only guests at the complex. “It was a training camp so that is what the facilities were for. There’s nothing fancy or gimmicky about it, just a hard working environment – exactly what I wanted.”

Completing the Yorkshire quartet in Austria this close season will be Huddersfield. David Wagner is taking his newly-promoted squad to Kirchberg, a town he has previously used as a base when in charge of Borussia Dortmund’s reserve team.

Like McCall and Warne, the seclusion and impressive facilities are a major attraction for Wagner, who last year in nearby Fugen held double sessions in the early morning and late afternoon to ensure his players avoided the warmest parts of the day.

Games against Stuttgart and Torino will provide the stiff test that the Town chief wants in what will be his side’s last outings before the ‘real’ action gets under way – the squad’s return from Austria coming with exactly a week still to go before a visit to Crystal Palace marks the end of 45 years away from the top flight.

Heady days, indeed, as Wagner hopes that week spent amid the rarefied atmosphere of the Alps can act as the perfect acclimatisation for that return to the very highest level of English football.