The Essendon Bombers have given the recent upgrades to the Bond University Sports Centre a big thumbs-up during a weights training session this morning.
The AFL stars will return to Bond on Wednesday for the second of their weights sessions in preparation for their trial game against the Brisbane Lions at Carrara Stadium on Friday night.
Essendon’s Strength and Conditioning Coach John Quinn said he was impressed with the quality of Bond’s training facility.
“The facilities here are really terrific, and I was surprised to see there was also an Olympic-size pool we could make use of.
“Plus, the proximity of Bond to both our hotel and Cararra stadium is very handy,” Mr Quinn said.
Mr Quinn said the team was enjoying the Gold Coast sunshine, though it was “certainly a lot warmer here than what we’re used to in Victoria”.
“Training here a week prior to the game is helping us adjust,” he said.
“It’s great being on the Gold Coast and we do some recovery training at the beach. The only problem is sometimes the players can go into holiday mode and need to be reminded to focus,” Mr Quinn said.
Essendon joins a long list of elite sporting teams who have previously chosen Bond’s Sports Centre as their Gold Coast training base, including the Brisbane Lions, Andre Agassi and the Australian Swim and Surf Lifesaving teams.
Bond Sports Centre Manager, Russell Ramsay said; “It’s wonderful to have Essendon training at Bond. It’s always a great buzz for our students to have elite athletes training on campus and hosting high profile teams such as the Bombers helps make people more aware of the quality facilities at Bond,” he said.
Mr Ramsay said the recent expansion of the Bond Sports Centre was in response to growing demand both from Bond students and the community at large.
“We attract a lot of members from the community because we are actually one of the more affordable gyms on the coast, with annual memberships for $620.
“Our recent upgrades include the installation of new equipment in the gymnasium, a new personal training studio, aerobics room and yoga and Pilates studio, and a common recreation area that can be reserved for special events,” he said.