Healthy temperatures in the UK are expected in the coming days. Some forecasts suggest that in some places it may be over 40 degrees hot, which in that case would mark a new heat record (38.7 degrees was measured in 2019) in the country.
On Friday, a national emergency was announced after The Met Office, the national weather service, for the first time (since the system was introduced in 2021) issued the highest warning for extreme heat, for an area that includes London, Manchester and York, writes BBC.
The Met Office warns of potentially life-threatening heat and urges everyone, not just risk groups, to exercise great caution.
In the middle of this, Sweden’s football ladies will play a decisive European Championship match against Portugal in the hunt for a quarter-final place. Sunday’s venue, Leigh, is located right next to the area where the highest heat warning was issued and it can be up to 30 degrees at kick-off, at 17 local time.
Slush and cold towels
It will be challenging but hopefully affordable, the Swedish camp believes.
– During the Olympics in Tokyo, we had a whole arsenal of measures such as slush (drink with crushed ice), cold towels and other types of things for recovery. We have them with us now as well. If necessary, we produce them, says national team doctor Houman Ebrahimi.
Pontus Ekblom, the women’s national team’s performance manager, has an iron grip on the Swedish players’ load and ensures that they are right in the recovery. A novelty for this summer’s European Championships is that he has a new system with him to measure the players’ fluid levels.
Other aids are new for this championship, but probably appreciated by the players. Not least the new system for measuring players’ fluid levels, which becomes especially important when temperatures hit the ceiling.
– Before, it was the urine check in the mornings, you took urine samples. We have moved on from that. Now we test the fluid levels on the tongue of the players, says Pontus Ekblom, the national team’s performance manager and one of those who ensures that the players’ recovery goes as planned.
Ensuring that the fluid depots are filled is one of many important parts to be able to maximize performance. This is especially true in higher temperatures.
– If you start the match and are “unlucky” you will have problems. It is the same as if you start without having replenished your glycogen stores, then you will manage the second half worse, we know that, says Pontus Ekblom.
Sofia Jakobsson, Elin Rubensson and Olivia Schough take a fluid break during one of the national team’s training sessions at the Swedish European Championship base Carden Park. The weather has changed so far during the championship, but this weekend temperatures are expected to be over 30 degrees in Leigh, where Sweden meets Portugal. The morning press is gone
For the players, the new system is a bit of a gift from above. The early pee tests were not the most fun, or easiest, to get through.
– It’s really nice. It was hard, actually, to be dragged along with it. I am very happy about this, says right-back Hanna Glas.
– It was almost a bit of a doping feeling, you got a bit stressed. So this goes both faster and smoother.
Nathalie Björn, who is used both in the back line and in midfield, can only agree.
– Yes, it was not very easy in the morning. Pontus has worked well there. It’s shitty. We have a management staff that is very good at what they do, so it’s great to be able to take simple tests to get measurements of how everything looks, says Björn.
“Proof of professionalism”
Midfielder Kosovar Asllani not only thinks it is practical, it is also a sign of how seriously you work in the Swedish national team. Every technological innovation is another step forward, she says.
– I think it’s important. It shows evidence of professionalism, we constantly test our fluid balance and that is absolutely important. In championships like this, every detail is important, says Asllani.
The heat as such should not be a big problem either, the Swedish players say in unison. It was sometimes extreme temperatures also during the WC 2019 and the Olympics last year, and Sweden still won a medal at both championships.
– It is clear that it will be tough and certain, we will meet Portugal who are used to heat. But we also have that experience and know how to prepare with water and those pieces. Hopefully it will be something we can handle, says goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl.