Chester FC will begin pre-season earlier than in recent years with manager Jon McCarthy and his assistant Ian Sharps determined to hit the ground running when the new campaign kicks off.
Having returned in the second week of July for the past two seasons, preparations this year will start on Monday, June 27 when the squad - which McCarthy hopes to add four or five new faces to before then - report to the Lookers Vauxhall Stadium along with a number of invited trialists.
The first couple of days will be spent completing fitness measuring and testing, and ensuring the players understand the targets for the season and what is expected of them.
WATCH: Chester start pre-season training ahead of the 2015-16 campaign
The hard work on the pitch starts on the Thursday and Friday with a weekend off to recover before a full week of training to get ready for the first pre-season game, a trip to Cheshire League side Sandbach United on Saturday, July 9.
McCarthy said: "The squad will be back in on June 27 and we will go through the testing and measurements, we're hoping to be working with some students from the University of Chester on that, and hand out the kit.
"On the Thursday and Friday we'll get them out training on the pitch and we'll have the weekend off before coming in on the following Monday and getting into it properly.
"Sharpy has prepared a programme for all of the players who are with us now and they've all been sent that so they know what to expect."
IN PICTURES: The Blues report back for the pre-season training last summer
This will be McCarthy's first pre-season as a manager following his appointment as the permanent successor to Steve Burr after steering the Blues to three wins from four games as caretaker at the end of the 2015/16 campaign.
The 45-year-old's career took him from the Northern Premier League to what is now the Championship and the international arena with Northern Ireland, winning 18 caps.
During his playing days, McCarthy studied sports science at Nottingham Trent University which meant he looked after himself during the close-season, something that wasn't the case across football as a whole during the 1990s.
But things have progressed significantly with players now more aware than ever of the importance of taking care of their bodies.
"It's changed a lot since I was playing and players look after themselves a lot more and come in a lot better shape," said McCarthy.
"For the past couple of seasons the players have smashed the fitness tests on the first day and I'm sure they will do that again and that then allows us to move on and concentrate on our shape.
IN PICTURES: Jon McCarthy's career in football
"I crossed over a little bit with the introduction of the nutritionists and measuring but when I was in non-league and the old Fourth Division it was a bit different.
"You'd get weighed before you went off for the summer and again on your first day back, and we'd be running around racecourses and up and down the sand dunes at Hartlepool."
"I was studying sports science at the time so was probably more aware of it that some of the others and when I got towards the end at Birmingham clubs had started to bring in the things we see now.
"That's filtered down the leagues over the time and clubs and players at our level are very aware of it and how important it is."
