The Santiago Bernabéu and the Metropolitano, two of the most luxurious football locker rooms in the world, are a very fitting jersey for an NFL franchise. In an extremely specialized sport like American football, with specific players in almost every phase of the game – offense, defense or special teams, such as returners or kickers – the roster is triple that of the largest team in European football. “We’re a lot tighter than the United States, but we’ll get through it,” emphasizes Miami Dolphins Director of Team Operations Scott Bullis. His team brought nearly 200 people to Madrid for Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders: 72 players, 30 coaches and 90 team members. personalfrom props to medical personnel, video analysts, performance specialists or communications workers. A true transatlantic that puts any Real Madrid or Atlético delegation to shame.
90% of the equipment the Dolphins needed for the game arrived in Madrid on their charter: around 40,000 pounds, the equivalent of 181 tons. The rest was shipped by sea in August: equipment for the players such as pads or helmets, as well as training materials, from balls to the latest equipment. “Everything that comes to mind while watching a game, we have to take it with us,” Bullis emphasizes. In total, 200 tons. An ordinary week’s baggage arrived with the team, both the players’ equipment and uniform clothing personalincluding a winter kit that they don’t use in Florida. In addition to the logistics for around twenty technical sessions between each department, not only attack and defense, but specific demarcations within them. “Projectors, computers, everything you can think of, we brought in to really prepare the hotel to be our home training facility, so these guys can function as normally as possible.”
That’s why one of the first challenges was finding a hotel with 200 rooms. “When we learned in January that we would be playing in Madrid, we came looking for hotels or training places to make sure they could cover all our specialties.” There are so many that the NFL has narrowed the options down to two accommodations. Once chosen, they returned in June to finalize the details. A routine task for trips to the United States, between eight and nine per season. Once the calendar for the next course closes, they choose between five or six hotels based primarily on the availability of meeting space.
To transport so many personnel from the hotel to the training ground, in their case the Metropolitano, they use six buses with 52 to 57 seats. The same system with which they will go to the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday or later they will go to the airport. Atlético de Madrid’s pitch is painted with the usual NFL boundaries and markings and they have installed goals, as happened in Valdebebas with the Commanders. The Metropolitano has set up a dressing room of over 1,000 square meters in the mixed area and adjoining rooms such as a gym with material that is transported from the United Kingdom, as happened for last Sunday’s match in Berlin. The locker room has 80 lockers for the model. Their movements have the support of the police and private security.
The big adaptation is in the locker rooms, which were not built with the intention of hosting fifty players. “The NFL works closely with the stadiums. When we arrived at the Bernabéu, we walked around to see how we could fit everyone in. There is enough space, just that it is narrower than what we are used to.” With independent seats so that the coaches can change and the four doctors have their material at hand. “We use the same space as Real Madrid and then we have a small extension, one or two more rooms, for the personal “Complementary”. A logistics similar to that of the Commanders, which will complete the away locker room. “The space is practically identical.” Painting the grass or installing goals is the responsibility of the NFL. Almost two weeks to deal with the transformation, since Real Madrid’s last home match, on November 1st against Valencia. To free the stadium, the national championship calendar allowed the white team to play two consecutive away games.
In this mission to bring Florida to Madrid, the Dolphins try to recreate spaces. “Obviously we’re not at home, but we try to get as close as we can. Our goal is to keep these kids in their routine.” Food is a fundamental pillar, which is why its large delegation includes a chef and a nutritionist. “We work with the personal of the hotel to prepare our meals and that the menus are consistent with what we do during our domestic travels.” Small missions that Bullis now sees put into practice: “It was a great experience. There is some language barrier, the food is different and the size of the locker rooms… But we got something very similar to what we see in the United States. Atlético’s first training session on the pitch was excellent. The hotel is fantastic and the city is beautiful. The kids like it.”
