Balls, buses and baked beans – how an away qualifier is planned

World Cup qualifier: Kazakhstan v Wales

Date: Thursday, September 4th, 2019 Kickoff: 15:00 BST

It is arguably the most awkward away fixture in European football.

For Wales, traveling to Kazakhstan away means 3, 000 miles of artificial pitch travel across six time zones.

There is little room for excuses, which necessitates a lot of planning when the goal is World Cup qualification.

Preparation is not only required for far-flung fixtures. Every day at a foreign association can be a challenge, with many staff members making an effort to make sure there are no hiccups away from home.

Wales’ preparation for this qualifying campaign began in a car in December 2024 as a result of a long journey to the World Cup.

The group’s draw took place in Zurich, with fixtures unveiled as Wales’ representatives arrived home from the airport that evening.

Staff were on standby to put wheels in motion regarding logistics for Wales ‘ away games.

While head coach Craig Bellamy and others discuss potential friendly games for empty dates on the qualifying schedule while traveling home and discussing how to avoid excessive travel costs. Kazakhstan included.

Hotels are a priority, especially with fans also eyeing up rooms. Therefore, bookings will be narrowed down at a later time even though host venues are not confirmed for up to 60 days prior to a game.

Then comes transportation, with options for and prices for charter flights.

With Football Association of Wales (FAW) bosses already okaying the cost of business class planes for the entire campaign, arrangements for the lengthy flight to Astana are nailed down after conversations with performance staff about recovery time and training schedules.

A hand-picked group of FAW staff make a first trip to Astana, complete with a fine-tooth comb.

Details are important in order to prevent surprises during game time.

From showers and changing rooms to bus drop-off areas, every detail of the stadium and hotel is captured and analyzed.

As well as conditions for the players, potential issues for supporters form part of the fact-finding mission.

Security advises whether some seats or areas are actually safe enough to be sold to traveling fans, while ticketing staff assesses facilities and counts every seat, ensuring that the number of tickets allocated matches what is actually in the stadium.

Bellamy sits down alongside senior coaching staff and members of the association’s other departments who work on logistics puzzles.

A hefty document armed with information from the reconnaissance trip is pored over with any potential problems raised at this point.

All planning is based on Bellamy’s preference for how he likes to organize Wales’ schedule around a game week, with all non-negotiables already in place.

However, there are also media days and commercial events. Trips of over four hours mean the preferred option of training at home the day before a game have to be adapted.

Decisions are made regarding when cameras can be allowed in for open training, a requirement for the Uefa, and whether to stick to UK time in a country four hours ahead of home. Every minute is recorded.

Decisions made at this meeting spark a flurry of further activities, such as timings for the vans, coaches and cars needed the other side of Astana airport.

The equipment team has already begun packing, or as they were once more well known, and will now be aware of whether they need to purchase a ball that matches the home association’s or, as in this case, if additional equipment is required for the Astana Arena’s pre-game training session.

Three weeks before the deadline of 14 days to notify clubs, Bellamy holds a final meeting on squad selection. Plans for an away trip are finalized.

Before final emails are sent, medical staff has monitored a much wider pool of players than will be chosen.

One goes to a player’s club with instructions, another to that club’s medical staff to keep open communication about the player’s likely workload or any information sharing over injury or fitness issue.

Then, each player receives an email with a congratulations message, itinerary details, and a reminder to notify them when passport details change. Kazakhstan’s email included a reminder to use alternative boots for the 4G surface.

Players enter the Vale Hotel on the outskirts of Cardiff, where the FAW offices and training facility are also located, after having a final sense check of the schedule and plans.

One-by-one squad members show up, handing over a passport to be checked, and receiving a room card.

The days of the likes of Chris Gunter and Aaron Ramsey sharing are over, with every player allocated single rooms which are mapped out and planned – though there is scope for players who are particularly close to be housed near one another.

Players have their own WhatsApp group, but a new one for information and reminders is added from the previous international.

With players who have been hurt or dropped from that organization removing them, there is no room for sympathy in either case.

It is safe to say that in the months after the 2022 World Cup, the words “Gareth Bale has left the group” rammed home the reality of his retirement.

Bellamy holds regular meetings with other departments, starting with breakfast, where they lay out plans for the day and ensure everyone is on the same page.

An advanced party travels to Astana via Azerbaijan as training begins.

As well as a final check on facilities and security, meeting rooms at the hotel are decked in Wales team branding ready for the team’s arrival.

The early travellers include the team chef, who coordinated with the performance team to create and deliver a menu to the hotel one month prior to arrival.

If certain produce is unavailable or out of season, menus are modified. Recipe cards are provided if local staff cannot quite get used to making staple foods like porridge at breakfast.

More than 60 pieces of luggage are included in the final kit, which also includes a coffee machine if the local coffee maker is deemed insufficient, widescreen televisions for half-time analysis, sponsors backdrops for the media, physio beds, and the all-important dressing room stereo. All ticked off, nothing left to chance.

Players are taken to a hotel for rest after taking a bus to land and then whisked back to the hotel for rest.

Staff members who wait for luggage will then use the second bus to convert function rooms and bedrooms into physio rooms and kit rooms. A heat press for printing shirt numbers is also part of the cargo.

A final squad list of 23 is submitted on Uefa’s registration portal at 23:00 Central European Time on the eve of a game, locking in the group who will take to the field the following day (or matchday minus-1 in Uefa-speak).