Tampa Day 7: Beach to their own

Throughout the planning and admin for this USA trip, Teddington Athletic have been keen to insist that it is not a holiday, but a football tour. The focus is upon education and experience, rather than simple fun in the sun.

That said, today we went to the beach.

Even professional footballers have their downtime and their team-bonding, and after their excellent exertions the previous night, the girls did indeed have fun in the sun on Clearwater Beach. Under clear skies and on white-gold sand, these fine young folks had a great time, ate ice creams, laughed – a lot – and rode inflatable bananas atop the eponymous clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Tomorrow, they get some more fun with a trip to Busch Gardens, before an evening training session to prepare for two consecutive matchdays. Let's hope they enjoy those just as much.