Gridiron giants give Fulham tips

"There are a few things we can take away from the Dolphins and use to improve the way we do things."

The tie-up with the Dolphins, one of America's top five gridiron clubs, is unlikely to develop into the type of marketing relation-ship Manchester United have with the New York Yankees.

But Fulham's visit shows how Premiership sides are increasingly targeting the American market.

Soccer is the most popular sport among children and the English Premier League was watched last season by a weekly audience of 107 million.

The Florida tour aims to raise awareness of the Fulham brand before Jean Tigana's champions hit US screens next season.

Fiddy added: "One of the reasons for choosing Florida was the chance to raise our profile in America. We went to promote our brand and name."

The tour has also seen Fulham face two National Soccer League sides.

On Saturday they beat an under-strength Miami Fusion team 5-0 with goals from Kevin Betsy, Louis Saha, Andrejs Stolcers, Alain Goma and Eddie Lewis. Last night Betsy scored both goals in a 2-0 win over a Tampa Bay Mutiny team which included former Colombian captain, 39-year-old Carlos Valderama.

More important than the matches, however, has been the extra training the tour has provided.

With the Premiership season ending on Saturday, two weeks after Fulham completed their Division One campaign, Tigana was keen to carry on working on his players' fitness so as to bring them into line with the teams they will be facing next season.

For the first part of the tour the club booked rooms at the Sunrise Hilton hotel, near Fort Lauderdale, which has been specially adapted for touring football teams and includes a football training pitch.

Despite temperatures well into the 80s, the players have not had too much time to lounge around and enjoy the sunshine.

Fiddy explained: "If you look at the Premier League teams they are still playing.

"We are already going to have to ensure we are up to the different physical demands of the Premier-ship, so we wanted to synchronise our fitness patterns with theirs."