Are warm weather training camps back in fashion?

It doesn’t seem that long ago when a warm weather training camp was a necessity for any squad with eyes on September football glory.

Then came the recession and the subsequent belt tightening of county boards which meant such trips became the exception rather than the norm.

So what plans do teams have in March 2016?

A straw poll of some of the counties competing yesterday drew mixed reaction.

Kerry have long been advocates of such trips and this season will be no different - though the timing may be.

The Kingdom will again visit the Amendoeira Golf Resort on Portugal’s Algarve this year, Eamonn Fitzmaurice yesterday confirmed.

“It will be down the road. It won’t interfere with our league preparations one way or the other regardless of how far we go. Similar to what we did last year, two weeks out from the first Munster championship game.”

Kerry face the winners of Limerick and Clare in a provincial semi-final in Fitzgerald Stadium on June 11 or 12. However, their neighbours in Cork have yet to decide whether or not they will take such a trip.

The Mayo senior football squad will be staying in London for a week-long training camp after their Connacht championship opener against the Exiles on May 29. The Mayo News reported last week the Connacht champions have opted to make use of some of the top-class sporting facilities in the English capital, and will extend their stay there rather than travel to a warm-weather training destinations.

Roscommon, flying high in the top flight of the Allianz League, have no plans for such a trip — but that doesn’t mean they aren’t heading abroad.

The Rossies will open their Connacht senior football championship campaign with a trip to New York to play the hosts — and it is expected the squad will get some extra sessions in on that trip.

Donegal, defeated by Roscommon yesterday, undertook a five-day training camp in Tenerife last month with manager Rory Gallagher satisfied at what he and his panel of 33 players achieved at a complex in La Caleta.

He said: “It was a really good week away. The pitch and the facilities at the hotel were top class. It’s the way we’re able to train twice a day and get the proper recovery in that really makes it worthwhile. We can meet a couple of times a day and the players aren’t under pressure with work.

“From Sunday to Thursday, we crammed a good bit in. We trained like professionals and lived like professionals for the few days we were away.”

Galway — who snatched a dramatic late draw away to Armagh yesterday — are heading to Portugal later this evening for a five-day training camp. But manager Kevin Walsh admitted that building spirit and camraderie in the squad was as important as anything that can be achieved out on the training paddock.

He explained: “The thought process behind it is blending the older group with the younger group, because we have some older players coming back in now after injuries.

“It’s important to get in early. It’s only a few days and it’s a learning process for all of these guys.”