MEDITERRANEAN countries have enjoyed the benefits of the siesta for centuries and now the Sydney Swans want to harness the value of an afternoon nap and sleep their way to a premiership.

Two sleep pods have been installed in the change rooms at the SCG for players to grab some shut-eye whenever they feel the need.

Emerging defender Xavier Richards was one of the first to try the pods.

“It’s not claustrophobic, it’s very cosy,” he said.

“Early on in pre-season we were having hard sessions in the morning and another in the afternoon, so it was good to have a break between those.

“In those two hours between the sessions, instead of going home I had a nap and you feel really fresh. It’s really convenient, you don’t have to waste time travelling home.”

media_camera Sydney's Xavier Richards and his brother Ted at the SCG.

The Swans are the first sporting club in Australia to use the devices, manufactured in the UK and costing $3500 each.

Their use is already widespread in the English Premier League, where teams including Manchester United have pods at their training venues.

NRL team the Sydney Roosters has expressed an interest in the pods and so has the team that thrashed Sydney in the Grand Final, Hawthorn.

“The sports science, the medical and coaching department are always looking for ways to get that one per cent advantage that will benefit us and they’ve added the sleep pod to the arsenal of what we’re doing,” Richards said.

Sydney has been at cutting edge of sports science and medicine.

The clubrooms at the SCG also have an altitude training room and an AlterG anti-gravity treadmill.

media_camera Nick Malceski had two LARS knee operations while he was at the Sydney Swans.

They have also been at the forefront of using the LARS synthetic ligament in knee reconstructions and the use of stem cell treatments for knee cartilage injuries.

Time in the sleep pods is restricted to a maximum of 20 minutes to prevent players falling into a deep sleep, thus negatively effecting normal sleeping habits.

“It’s not a replacement for a good night’s sleep,” Swans high performance manager Peter Berbakov said.

“The pods are a piece of performance equipment. It puts players into a mode where they are using the pod for a purpose.

“We’ve known for a long time that other cultures have reaped the rewards of an afternoon nap. There is a lot of research that shows the positive benefits of a power nap.

“Cognitive function improves, as does physical performance. Players are also better able to listen, learn and take instruction from the coaches.

“It gives players full privacy and it doesn’t have to be used for sleeping. The players can also use it for quite time and meditation.”

The use of the sleep pods is still in its infancy and the club expects to increase their use slowly.

Originally published as Swans caught napping in new pods