 La Manga is popular with many football teams - including England |
Football's mid-season winter break - perceived for so long as a typically eccentric European concept - will be a fixture in the Premiership calendar next season.
Like it or loathe it, controversial winter training camps are going to become a regular feature of the game in England.
Fans argue that some clubs pretend these trips are team-bonding exercises in an attempt to disguise the fact that they are actually a nice little jolly to the sunny Mediterranean.
Events such as Leicester's fateful trip to La Manga - or indeed England's infamous boozy trip to Hong Kong before Euro 96, or Stan Collymore's fire extinguisher prank (also at La Manga) in 2000 - are unlikely to change their view.
But former Foxes, Millwall and Portsmouth star Steve Claridge insists players are not given an easy ride.
"I've been on a few training camps myself, and they are hard work," Claridge told BBC Sport.
"You do two or three hard sessions a day, you're cooped up in the middle of nowhere and although there's an element of getting people together, they can be a bit claustrophobic.
"It's not a holiday."
 |  There's a different type of discipline these days |
With mid-season breaks set to become a common occurence, officials will be doing everything in their power to prevent players bringing their team's name into disrepute.
Banning nights out is one option, although Claridge feels that would be a mistake.
"Over seven days we would have had maybe one or two nights out," he said.
"We would have been free to do what we wanted - you can't run people's lives.
"But I can't imagine that people will be allowed out much if they're on a team camp in future.
"That's going to make life even more difficult.
"If they do go away, the players are going to need a release. And if they can't go out, there could be flare-ups between team-mates."
A blanket ban on booze appears to have worked for Arsenal - but it may not work everywhere.
After all, the Gunners' success has engendered a strong team spirit which other clubs will struggle to replicate without bonding exercises - including social activities for groups of players.
Former England international Alan Mullery told BBC Radio Five Live the problems facing clubs were different to those in his era.
| You listen to Alan Mullery, and you'd think it was like Swallows and Amazons in his day |
"There's a different type of discipline these days, you see more headlines which are more despicable," he said.
"When I played there were a lot of sinners that went out and enjoyed a drink, but the headlines we've been seeing of late are for things that I'm not really happy with."
But is the recent behaviour of certain groups of young male sportsmen really a new phenomenon?
Claridge thinks not.
"Twenty or 30 years ago, people were far worse," he said.
"You listen to Alan Mullery, and you'd think it was like Swallows and Amazons in his day.
"But there are more than a few names who played then who weren't exactly angels.
"Besides, I've been out with groups of 20 lads who are not footballers, and their behaviour has been disgraceful.
"I'm not talking about what went on at La Manga, and I don't pretend all footballers are well behaved.
"But people are being very quick to accuse them of everything."
MMIX
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