Pearce puts his men through their paces in luxurious sun-drenched Spanish resort

|

UPDATED:

17:30 GMT, 10 July 2012

As part of their training, you often hear of athletes 'acclimatising' to competition conditions.

So why on earth, as Britain drowns under a deluge of rain and frankly horrendous weather conditions, has Stuart Pearce taken his Team GB football team to Spain.

Meeting of minds: Stuart Pearce is preparing his squad for Euro 2012

Meeting of minds: Stuart Pearce is preparing his squad for Euro 2012

The glorious sun-drenched coast near Marbella is a far cry from what is being experienced at Olympic venues across Britain with the Games just a fortnight away.

The team, including Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards, are based at La Cala Golf Resort, a vast 'upscale Andalusian leisure retreat' surrounded by mountains.

Pearce and his medal-chasers will spend little under a week training at the centre before jetting home and into the Olympic village on Monday.

Leading by example: Ryan Giggbs will captain the team in his first major tourno

They play the much-fancied Brazil team in their one and only warm-up match at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium, a week before the tournament begins.

Pearce's men face Senegal, UAE and Uruguay in the competition proper while Hope Powell's women will face New Zealand, Cameroon and Brazil.