'Train Like England' With Samsung!

RAF FOOTBALL TEAM WIN 'TRAIN LIKE ENGLAND' EXPERIENCE WITH SAMSUNG!

Watch our exclusive video as RAF Valley FC are put through their paces by FA experts at St. George's Park

8th October 2014, London, UK –A squad of RAF personnel, who play together in their air base football team, won a money-can't-buy 'Train Like England' experience, after winning a Facebook competition run by Samsung UK.

Samsung UK is the Official Consumer Electronics & Smartphone Supplier to the England Team, and offered RAF Valley FC a revealing insight into how the England squad will spend their time at St. George's Park preparing for the games against San Marino and Estonia.

Each member of the winning RAF Valley FC squad received a Samsung Galaxy S5 handset, pre-loaded with state-of the-art health features including a heart rate monitor and Samsung's 'S Health' App, in order to track their heart rate, work rate and calories consumed throughout the day.

Senior AircraftsmanFinlay Hanslip [corr], who entered RAF Valley FC into the Samsung competition on Facebook, said: "The team's made up of a great bunch of lads, including fast-jet pilots, search-and-rescue helicopter crew, air traffic controllers and flight operations assistants.

"When I found out we'd won, I had to run it past our Station Commander, Captain Pete Cracroft, to sign all of the squad off - luckily he was just as thrilled as I was!"

RAF Valley FC kicked off their 'Train Like England' experience by travelling in the Official England Team Bus from their base at RAF Valley, on the Isle of Anglesey, to St. George's Park.

They spent a night at the National Football Centre's hotel, staying in the same suites used by the England team.

The next morning the RAF team, dressed in full England training kit, were put through their paces by FA experts, as well as specialists from Michael Johnson Performance in the Centre's world-class facilities, mirroring sessions planned for the England squad.

You can watch the 'Train Like England' video HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=got7HIIm-W8

Steve Kemp, England Senior Men's Physiotherapist, took the team through a series of warm-up drills and gave them performance advice.

FA coach Mike Thorpe then led them through an intense England-style training session on the 'David Beckham Pitch'.

Steve Kemp said: "We were delighted to have the players from RAF Valley FC down to St. George's Park to take them through the same experience an England player will have when called up to the national team."

"By providing each of them with the Samsung Galaxy S5 we were able to monitor every player's performance - such as heart-rate and distance covered throughout the day - in order to help them improve their overall fitness.

"They were already in fairly good physical shape, but there were a few grimaces when it came to the ice bath – which isn't unusual!"

Thanks to the Galaxy S5's IP67 certification, allowing it to be submerged in up to one metre of water for 30 minutes, the players could also take the handsets into their hydrotherapy session, for ice bath 'selfies'!

At the end of their experience, the team were able to quiz nutritional expert Naomi Datson, Head of Exercise Science (Women's) at The FA, on what the England team might eat before or after a training session or match.

Naomi said: "I wanted to give the RAF players some good nutrition advice to take away and utilise in their own daily routines, and, in particular, their pre and post-match eating schedules.

"The Food menu in the Galaxy S5 allows you to calculate the calories of food you have eaten, anytime, anywhere, so you can manage what you eat. Players can also use the camera to keep a record of the food in order to create their own tracking map."

Russell Taylor, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Samsung Electronics UK, said: "Samsung has a long association with football, both in the UK and globally, and we're delighted that this partnership adds to our on-going commitment to all football fans. We're really pleased that RAF Valley FC had the opportunity to use Samsung's technology to help them train like England."

Samsung UK is the official Consumer Electronics & Smartphone Supplier to the England squad. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/samsungsport

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Notes to Editors:

We can send a file version of the 'Train Like England'. Please get in touch if you'd like us to send you a download link.

Samsung's Football Legacy

Since 2005, Samsung has been involved in some of the most prominent and visible football properties. Current relationships include: Chelsea FC (EPL), The FA (England Football), Real Madrid C.F. (La Liga), Bayern Munich FC (Bundesliga), Juventus FC (Serie A), CBF (Brazilian National Football), AFC (Asian Football Confederation), CAF (Confederation de African Football) and many other national teams.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

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