"At a time when our positive finds are decreasing, English football has decided to raise the stakes in the battle against drugs," Hodson confirmed to TheFA.com this afternoon.

"This season we will conduct 1,200 tests which constitutes a 20% increase from last season, including a higher percentage of post-match testing. We will cover all levels of the game from the Premier League to the FA Vase, from senior professionals to youth players in academies. We will test in the women's game and each of our international squads will also be tested.

"It may still only be pre-season but we have already started. Every professional club will be visited at least four times this year. Be you Plymouth Argyle or be you Arsenal, we will be on our way.

"We work seven days a week and choose events (matches or training sessions) randomly. We make sure that we do not entirely concentrate on post-match testing because on match days you do not have access to the full squad, only those playing. Arguably, it is those players still recovering from injury who might be the more likely users of banned substances to return to playing quicker."

Hodson also revealed that the clubs are fully supportive of the tests which this season will cost £370,000 to administer and carry out.

"We have the facility to assist clubs who believe that one of their players may be behaving improperly," he revealed.

"The clubs themselves do not have the right to test players themselves - it must be the governing body but we can make designated tests. Last year 30 clubs contacted us to make designated tests and we would expect similar requests this time round."

Following a series of findings related to Nandrolone in Italy, Hodson confirmed that the FA Doping Control Programme would be altered this season in accordance with trends in Italy but revealed that he does not necessarily believe that English football suffers from the same problem.

"This season we will see a significant increase in post game tests in light of the Italian experience although I don't think we suffer from the same problem. We do not have a culture of using supplements in English football.

"Our aim is to deter people from cheating or using recreational drugs. We want to ensure that this remains a sport in which people compete on a level playing field. Our strategy revolves around testing but even more importantly around education. We hammer the message home from a very young age that footballers must take responsibility for what they eat and drink, seek advice if necessary, and stay clear of drugs, be they recreational or performance-enhancing."

* During the entire 2000-2001 season only seven positive finds were recorded from 1,107 tests. Two of these were for sleeping tablets which do not increase performance and two were for high levels of testosterone which were later found to be naturally produced.

Of the 5,305 tests conducted since 1994 when the current drug testing structure was introduced, there have been only 49 positive tests, none of which were for anabolic steroids.