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Breakfast with Phil

7:00 am 9:00 am

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Phil Neville on England training programmes based around menstrual cycles

Written by on 19/02/2020

England head coach Phil Neville says the appointment of Dawn Scott and her work around menstrual cycles will take his squad to “another level” ahead of the SheBelieves Cup.

Scott joined the England set-up as senior women’s physical performance manager in November after a nine-year spell with the United States, which included two World Cups wins and Olympic gold.

Neville sees the importance of tailoring a bespoke programme for the Lionesses as they build towards the 2021 European Championship on home soil.

“I think the biggest thing that she’s probably taught me is that there are marginal gains to be made on certain areas of the team that she feels really passionate about,” Neville told Sky Sports News.

“The menstrual cycle is one in terms of the high speed running.

“She’s got real experience of what it takes to win and the big thing is that we’ve got to have a bespoke programme for our girls and boys.”

Neville says his methods on the training pitch largely remain the same for men or women but is keen to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach for other aspects of the game.

“We have to get away from that because ultimately there are differences,” added Neville, who says Scott will monitor players’ menstrual cycles ahead of the SheBelieves Cup.

“There are certain specifics that need to be bespoke for female athletes, and for male athletes – it’s no different.

“Yes, you talk about systems and tactics, the way that I deliver on the training pitch is probably generic within male and female football.

“But there are certain things that I think we have to focus on that have to be bespoke. That is something that we’ve been focusing on for the last six months.

“It’s now something that Dawn is going to help us get to another level and hopefully that will take us and make us even better.”

(c) Sky Sports 2020: Phil Neville on England training programmes based around menstrual cycles