THE wood panelling, leather sofas and marble floors of the reception rooms and lounges give the Indianapolis Athletic Club the feel of a real, old-fashioned gentleman's club.

But there's nothing stuffy about Wanderers' base in the heart of this Midwest city.

A six lane, 25-yard swimming pool, basketball, squash and racketball courts plus state of the art fitness rooms make this one of the most distinguished and successful private members' clubs in the United States.

In the heart of downtown Indianapolis, an impressive city featuring a mall not much smaller than the Trafford Centre and no fewer than FOUR TV stations, the players should have all they need to fill whatever leisure time they are allowed during their intensive training programme.

There is an air of calm about the IAC where the dress code, imposed by a committee with a pride in traditional values, is smart casual at the very least. (They're only too willing to cater for the 'all American boy' but not if he is wearing torn jeans and a tee-shirt!)

But for the duration of Wanderers' stay one spacious conference room on the fifth floor has become a hive of activity where physio Mark Leather and Faz Page, the conditioner, masseur and kit man, have set up a treatment room to deal with the various knocks, strains and pulls that are bound to occur.