AFC Fylde first team took part in a LION’s Culture workshop on Tuesday afternoon, delivered by British Army Capt and former Army boxer Joe Fleming.

Coasters boss Jim Bentley invited Joe into the football club to present to the players and staff, having met each other at Dale Barracks during Fylde’s pre-season camp last month.

With the Coasters gearing up to take on Guiseley AFC on Saturday, the gaffer explained the importance of creating a strong internal unit and creating a winning culture before the competitive games kick back in.

Speaking to afcfylde.co.uk, Bentley said: “I’d like to thank Joe for coming in to speak with the players and staff. I met Joe at the recent trip to Dale Barracks and was keen to get him in to do a presentation.

“Joe has a lot of experience in the army and comes from a boxing background, so knows about high performance in a high-pressured environment. He doesn’t just talk around being a good sportsman but also a good professional and human being.

“Having a strong mentality is vital and I felt as though the players and staff took a lot away from the presentation; it’s something that we will be looking to progress throughout the coming weeks and season.”

Capt Joe Fleming was enlisted in 1999 and has deployed on a number of operations, before being promoted to Capt within 1 LANCS where he is currently serving as the Training Officer and promoting LION Culture. Speaking to the club’s media team, Fleming said: “ I was invited by Jim Bentley, to come up and speak to the boys about personal development; and how to expand their knowledge and training capability.

“The session I put on today was to broaden their minds and make them look at training and development in a different way. We covered personal development, exploring reasons why people fail and succeed, motivators and demotivators, as well as highlighting the external factors that contribute to performance.

“What we are going to do next is sit down, put what we have learned into a goal-setting exercise, and discuss the support network that drives success and helps these individuals improve wherever they can.”