As Women's Super League 2 clubs prepare for the new campaign, several sides have used their pre-season camps not just for fitness work, but for unusual team-bonding exercises designed to bring squads closer together both at home and abroad.
Nottingham Forest took their preparations to Canada this summer, where players enjoyed a rest day at a wildlife centre, sharing photographs with various animals on social media. Manager Tom Mallinson also introduced a speed-dating style exercise, pairing players together to discuss what they valued about one another and to better understand each other's strengths as teammates.
Forest captain Georgia Brougham described the exercise as a meaningful moment for the squad. "It was really wholesome because we had a different partner each time. The questions were like: 'what does your partner bring to the team?'" she said. "It made people feel valued. I think that was a moment where everyone really felt together on the trip."
Brougham added that the activity had a particularly strong impact on newer signings adjusting to life away from home. "One of the girls said that she felt like she gained a sister in me. She's Swedish and obviously she's been away from home but she said she feels safe and she can just be herself. It wasn't forced, so it was nice."
Elsewhere, Sheffield United opted for a more physically demanding approach, spending a day playing a real-life version of the Channel 4 series 'Hunted', in which teammates worked together to avoid capture by pursuers. The exercise took place in the Peak District. Defender Joy Ralph admitted she wasn't entirely sure of the finer details of the game. "I'm not really sure what goes on to be honest! We just kind of ran around after each other in the woods," she said. "It's very similar to the TV show. It was fun!"
At Sunderland, new signing Fran Stenson has been settling into her surroundings following her move from Southampton. The goalkeeper recalled an amusing moment during a coastal outing with teammates, when what she initially believed to be a shark sighting turned out to be something far less alarming. "We went there once and there was dolphins. I didn't expect that," Stenson said. "I first thought it was a shark. I was like: 'no, am I seeing it right?' There were loads of photographers and I thought it was a shark because I saw a larger fin. A guy next to me told me to look out because they were all playing and I realised they were dolphins not sharks. That was one of my first days too."
Wolves, meanwhile, took a more adventurous route with a trip to the Lake District, which included abseiling down a waterfall, fitness drills and campfire gatherings. Some players had feared a stricter military-style approach given manager's background in the RAF. Goalkeeper Emily Orman explained the pre-trip nerves. "There were rumours about whether we were going to have to put mud on our faces because our manager is in the RAF," she said. "Everyone was worried it was going to be quite a military trip in the Lake District! But some people were concerned about their skin care routine."
Away from the training pitch, Orman has also been pursuing personal projects during the off-season. The goalkeeper, on loan at Wolves from London City Lionesses, has developed an interest in video games introduced by her boyfriend, along with a growing passion for documentary-making that began during a wrist injury last season, when she gained experience in co-commentary and media work.
"I'm really passionate about trying to do some documentaries in the future," Orman said. "At the moment I'm just trying to get used to being in front of a camera, filming and editing with just general vlogs. In the future, I'd love to explore women in sport. I love Louis Theroux and Stacey Dooley."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.