Earlier this year, we caught up with Hull FC’s Head of Elite Performance to discuss the “unbelievable opportunity” for the club to be working alongside international brand Jacuzzi® after becoming the Black & Whites’ brand-new Elite Performance Partner.
The historic partnership, one of the most exciting and significant in the club’s 155 year history, was confirmed back in February and will see the global manufacturer and distributor of baths, hot tubs, pools and saunas, become integral club partners both on and off the field throughout the 2020 Betfred Super League season and beyond.
Working alongside local showroom Outdoor Living, the largest hot-tub retailer in Europe through their showrooms in Hull & Leeds, the deal has seen Hull’s premier training facility be renamed the Jacuzzi® Elite Performance Centre, as well as working on several other exciting projects with the Airlie Birds.
One of the major benefits of the partnership for the first-team squad is the installation of a brand-new recovery pool being installed on-site at the training ground, to aid the recovery and performance of members of the first-team squad on a daily basis, with the hydrotherapy element possessing proven benefits towards both pain reduction and flexibility.
With that in mind, we caught up with Hull’s Head of Elite Performance Paul Hatton to find out more about the importance of recovery and performance and where Jacuzzi® can play their part.
“Recovery is probably the most important part of what the players do on a day to day basis. We want the players recovered and straight into performance mode as soon as possible, so its the single most important thing in season,” Hatton told hullfc.com.
“First and foremost for us, the most important way you can implement the recovery process is through nutrition. Eating cleanly and as early as possible after a game is really important. But we also use pool recovery often, as well as ice baths, hot tubs, and saunas. We have an array of different methods we use to help the players recover.
“In a way, that process of recovery is more crucial than the actual training the goes on on the training field. You need the body to adapt as quickly as possible, so by giving it a stimulus, it speeds that process up so you’re ready to go again the next week.”
Often using water as part of their recovery process, Hatton added: “There are numerous benefits to using water as part of that process. Obviously a lot of body weight is taken away due to the buoyancy, and it adds compression to the body too. We get the players doing a whole host of movements in the water.
“Having the pool on site is going to be of huge benefit to us. It’s an incredible bit of kit that has been installed, that includes some added performance packs too. The jets are really powerful which will benefit that massage process too.”
“About half the human population are under stress on a daily basis, including these players. They put their bodies through hell every day, so having that pool on site is a nice way to bring that relaxation factor into play which the boys need. To be able to take that stress away and encourage some relaxation is really beneficial.”
And Hatton, who will also be providing monthly blog updates as to how the players are benefitting from the partnership, expressed his excitement to be working alongside a household name like Jacuzzi®.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for the club to be working alongside a brand like Jacuzzi, and also for myself and the team that are around us. The help we have already had from them brilliant – for example, we didn’t want any chemicals in the pool, so they’ve sourced other ways for us to do that. Since day one, they’ve been coming up with ideas to benefit the club so its going to be a really exciting project moving forward.
“It’s certainly one of the most exciting partnerships we’ve had during my time at the club. We’ve had some good partners in that past in terms of nutritional providers for example, but this is just going to grow and grow over the coming months.
“Speaking to the team from Jacuzzi and Outdoor Living, I know there are even more plans in the pipeline to improve the facilities here at the Jacuzzi Elite Performance Centre, and more ideas for the club as a whole to work with.”
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