It’s no secret that athletes are said to have a ‘home-game advantage’, but how do teams combat the sometimes negative effects of ‘playing away’? Nike and design consultancy Teague have come up with a solution.

In order to minimise the effect of air travel and changing time zones on sportsmen and women, Teague and Nike have conceptualised a new form of transport for athletes, ensuring their performance is top notch, wherever they are playing - ‘The Athlete’s Plane.’

The customisable layout of the private plane would allow for extra features aiming to target specific problem areas in travel. The cabin space would be zoned, so athletes, coaches and support staff could have different spaces, as well as all seats being housed in separate pods, allowing privacy and a good night’s sleep.

Bespoke training and recovery spaces would help athletes to be fighting fit

Teague and Nike wanted the design of the plane to focus on four key areas; recovery, circulation, sleep and thinking. In a press statement from Teague, they offer an explanation of how these areas would be catered for:

- Recovery: Equalising the negative effects of air travel on the mind and body, and bringing the training room to 40,000 feet through in-flight biometrics and analysis to accelerate injury diagnosis and treatment.

- Circulation: Fostering natural mobility and building in equipment that ensures optimal circulation and promotes healing.

- Sleep: Designing ideal sleeping conditions for individuals and sleep strategies for entire teams to maximise physical readiness.

- Thinking: Creating spaces for key mental activities, especially film study—enabling in-transit film review both before and after games.

Despite the project only being at the concept stage, by allying research from several different sources with a strategy to tailor air travel to the needs of top athletes, it appears Nike and Teague are on to a winner. With clubs already spending millions on their home grounds, travel might well be the next area of investment, particularly if it aids performance.

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