CITIZEN sports reporter John Richardson has learned a thing or two about the Czech football team on his travels.

At a recent meeting with Jarslav Dudl, senior advisor to the president of the football association of the Czech Republic, John Richardson discovered that the team chose to stay at the Marriott hotel at Broughton (formerly the Broughton Park Hotel) because of a recommendation from the English FA, given when they attended the draw for the Euro 96 championships in Birmingham.

Dudl decided to waste no time and travelled the same evening to the Marriott.

He beat the Italians to make the reservation - they arrived late the following morning.

The Czech Republic also had an arrangement with Switzerland that each country would swap hotels depending on where they they were drawn and if they were in different groups.

The team have also brought a cook who supervises their meals in the kitchens. Dudl says this is necessary because their usual diet is similar to the Germans' and they eat too many fatty foods which are not healthy for footballers.

Paul le Roy, the general manager at the Marriott, arranged the match against Bamber Bridge which the team believed was ideal for their preparations for their match at Old Trafford against Germany.

The players thought the facilities and hospitality at Ironbridge were exceptional. More than 7,000 supporters were in Manchester for their first game and because of the ticket allocation, most of them had travelled with trips organised by the Czech Republic FA.

The same number of fans are expected for their qualifying games.

If you want to see the Czech Republic football team they have open training sessions at 11am daily at Preston Grasshoppers' ground.

Dudl had nothing but praise for the hotel's facilities and security, as well as the hospitality and friendliness of Lancashire people. The Marriott had even bought some Czech beer, Radegast to make their guests feel at home.

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