The Journey to Kick-Off: How Travel Logistics Now Shapes Premier League Performance
In elite football, performance can usually be attributed to coaches, sports science and analysts. But within Premier League clubs, one of the most crucial factors for performance functions is rarely seen on a team sheet: operations and travel logistics.
Behind every game is a complex movement of more than 100 people and equipment, alongside schedules that have to run perfectly.
Former Aston Villa head of first-team operations Matt Bennet describes a job that never sleeps. His phone stayed on alert from early morning til late at night, with the responsibility of 60-200 travelling players, coaches and staff. He didn’t get to consider downtime, if the phone rings, you must answer and react calmly in any given situation. If anything failed, it’s on him.
The role has expanded beyond traditional player liaison. Early duties focussed on helping footballers settle into a new city; now, it’s fully functional operational management. Clubs coordinate family arrangements and schooling, visas, banking and housing whilst simultaneously coordinating trips, pre-season tours and matchday travel.
European fixtures demonstrate the scale. Planning begins months in advance, with site visits to inspect catering, security, ticketing operations and hotels. Clubs also coordinate with local police and stadium authorities, guaranteeing safety and controlling arrival routines. Match-day travel has become so complex that even nutrition crossed over into logistics, requiring an on-coach chef, vital for post-match recovery.
The objective remains: remove uncertainty so players are focussed entirely on performance.
Travel is treated as part of the preparation alone. Hotel proximity to stadiums, recovery routines and flight times are aligned with coaches’ preferences while delivering solutions, not problems. Trust between the coaching staff and operations is essential as the department relies directly on preparation quality.
Modern clubs are increasingly recognising that logistics exist in performance infrastructure. When players are settled, rested and stress-free off the pitch, output improves off it. More and more clubs are investing in properly managed logistics and require the highest standards within all roles, even the small things contibute to performance.
In a league where marginal gains are at play, football games are not only won on the training ground, they are won in hotels, airports and carefully scheduled and selected travel.