Nutrition is just 1% of a player’s performance yet it has a significant impact on the other 99%. A player’s food choices provide the fuel for their training as well as competition, but also plays a key role in a number of other areas too. 

Nutrition plays an important role for players in so many ways:

• Maintain good health: Any player is a person first, athlete second and a well-balanced diet can help to ensure this. When it comes to food choice, there is no ‘good’ and ‘bad foods, a combination of all the food groups including carbohydrates, proteins, fats as well as fruit and vegetables will help athletes maintain overall health and wellbeing. 

• Optimise performance: Most players compete to win. Their ability to do this is based on having enough fuel available to perform at their best during both competition and training. This is where ensuring players are consuming sufficient amounts of carbohydrate in the build-up to the event and in some cases, during too, will help them perform at their best. 

• Enhance training adaptation: Choosing suitable foods and drinks after a training session or match can significantly enhance the training adaptation from their training. Nutrition can also significantly improve an player’s ability to recover more effectively ready for the next competition or training session. 

• Maximise growth and development: For players, the demands of training, school, life outside of sport plus the growth and development significantly increase their energy requirements to cope with the demands placed on the body. The food that athletes put into their body will make a huge impact in supporting all of this

• Reduce the risk of injury and illness: Training demands combined with life outside of sport significantly increase stress placed on the body leading to an increased risk of injury and illness. While there is no food or drink that can ‘boost’ immunity, players should ensure that they are eating a well-balanced diet can help to maintain a strong immune system. Furthermore, nutrition can also help with managing injuries too. 

So how can football players use nutrition to support their performance, training and health goals?

1. Food first but not food only: Players often resort to supplements as a ‘quick fix’. There are certain situations where supplements may support performance and training goals but they will provide athletes with ‘minimal gains’ compared to ensuring they are eating a well balanced diet. 

• Focus on your nutrition strategy: There is lots of evidence around how to fuel for competition performance effectively but what that looks like in terms of food choice will be different for every player. Focus on your nutrition strategy rather than those around you.

• Don’t try anything new on competition day!!!: One of the most common detrimental actions that a lot of players do is to try something new on race day. Consuming foods or drinks that you have not trained with can significantly increase the risk of a player suffering ‘athletes gut’ where they feel sick or have to stop to go to the toilet resulting in poor performance or the player not finishing the match. 

• Don’t forget about the recovery: An effective nutrition strategy is one of the most effective ways to enhance training adaptation and improve recovery. This allows the athlete to reduce soreness and fatigue and potentially improve performance at their next event or competition.

So how can you improve your football performance?

You can download the new Fuel for Football ebook for just £9.99. Whether you’re a youth player, academy athlete, grassroots competitor, or coach supporting your team, this guide gives you clear, no-nonsense advice on how to fuel properly for the demands of the modern game.

Inside, you’ll learn:

• What to eat before training and match days
• How to fuel during games for sustained energy
• The best recovery strategies to reduce soreness and fatigue
• How to stay properly hydrated and avoid late-game drop-off
• Smart snack ideas for busy schedules
• Supplement basics — what’s worth it and what’s not
• How to optimise body composition for speed, strength, and power