As an avid fan of the NFL, I’m often wondering how to teams manage to travel for away games. From playing in enemy stadiums to meeting fans on the road, football teams sure have a busy travel schedule. I can only imagine the effort and planning that goes into making sure players and staff arrive at each game safely and on time.
Whenever I watch my favorite team play in an away game, I am always in awe of how the players travel. Depending on the location, teams use a variety of methods to make it to the game. The most common way for large groups of players to travel is by charter plane. When I see these planes taking off and landing at the local airport, it certainly triggers a feeling of excitement within me.
The team’s equipment is also carefully shipped to the game’s location, and usually sent several days in advance. The process of packing and shipping helmets, pads, jerseys and other necessary items is a lengthy one. Specialized crates and containers are used to ensure the safe transport of these items across long distances.
The journey itself isn’t always the same, either. For games in nearby cities and states, the team might hop on the bus and drive. While it’s a longer trip, the players and staff usually find joy in stopping for a bite to eat shortly before or after the game.
For games in far-away places, I have heard that teams sometimes book two charter flights. The second flight is reserved for the majority of the team, staff and cheerleaders while the first plane is used to fly out just the equipment. The idea behind this is to ensure a smooth and safe departure for the entire team and to ensure the gear is loaded swiftly.
When the team has safely arrived at the location, the players usually spend time exploring the local area, getting a bite to eat or catching up with friends and family. They usually stay a night or two before heading back home.
When teams make their way back home after a long trip, they usually take the same route they took to the game. The players usually count down their final hometown and all of the fans cheer for them as they walk the streets of the home stadium.
No mattter how long the travel, football teams are always sure to make it to the game. I have heard stories of teams stuck at airports, sitting on planes for hours and having a surprise stop for a bite to eat on the way. Through all of the bumps in the road, football teams consistently manage to make it to their away games.
For distant away games, the team hotels are often booked over a week in advance. For these long distances, they usually stay in the hotel during the week leading up to the game in order to maximize their rest. The hotels come with large ballrooms for the team to have meetings and practice.
The day of the game, the team usually meets in traditional group formation and walks from the hotel to the stadium for the pre-game. Players have to stand in a single file line with each other and the entire team has to march in the same direction.
The last part of the game day is the post game interview. The teams usually stand in the press conferences and explains why they won or lost the game. All of this planning and attention to detail is part of why football teams take their travel so seriously.
When the team finally returns home, they usually get a hero’s welcome. The stadium will be full of fans cheering when they step back on the field where they belong. After unloading the plane, the team usually stops on the airport runway for all of the owners, players, and staff to celebrate their victory with each other in tow.
But if it only ends in a loss, the players have to have their heads held high and prepare for the next away game. Each and every team works diligently to make sure they make it flawlessly from the final practice to the last second at the stadium.
I have heard of teams going the extra mile to make their travel arrangements a memorable experience. Whether it’s a surprise on the plane or a special treat in the hotel, it is refreshing to hear that a team cares for the comfort of its players throughout the travel process.
The NFL teams undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on each other to make their travel a priority. With tight security, meticulous planning and costly hotels, the overall experience is definitely worth it. The organization and planning that goes into football travel is easy to appreciate for us fans and I’m sure the teams appreciate it too.