Fundamentally, a nutrition programme should always have a basis in health. For most of us, poor health can just mean being subject to illnesses and niggling injuries that mean we simply don’t function at our best. However, without health, you might not even be on the football pitch at all!

Most people would expect a footballer’s nutrition programme to optimise performance and promote recovery. We also feel it’s pretty obvious that it should be evidence based and backed by science. In addition to this, we have also included the idea that a nutrition programme should be supportive of body composition goals. This simply means that if you are too small/lightweight, or conversely overweight, the programme should help to address this.

The part of the infograph that you perhaps haven’t thought about however, is at the bottom; the box titled “Sustainable”. You see, if a nutrition programme is not sustainable, it is only a matter of time before it grinds to a halt! It doesn’t matter how much the programme supports all the other requirements; unless you can stick to it long term, you are on a one way street to failure. To make it sustainable, it has to be enjoyable. If you don’t enjoy the food you are consuming, it won’t be long before you are ditching it and reaching for something from the convenience aisle. The nutrition programme also needs to be achievable. For example, it must fit in with your lifestyle and your budget. Finally, the programme must be flexible; it has to allow for the unknown and the surprises in life. Nobody wants a nutrition programme that turns them into a social outcast and to prevent this, it has to have a degree of flexibility! Footballers have struggled with how to achieve all of this for too long. Struggle no more though, because Player-Pal is here to help!

“Every player is different and there is no single diet that meets the needs of all players at all times”

(FIFA/F-MARC: 2010)

An individual’s nutritional requirements are very much unique. They depend on a long list of factors including age, sex, height, build; as well as their goals e.g. fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance. Other factors include their training programme and, if not a full time footballer, their occupation. At Player-Pal we also look at the energy needs of your position and the stage of the season you are at. There is no such thing as the perfect nutrition plan – only the one that works best for you and your goals!

Reference: (FIFA/F-MARC 2010 Nutrition for football)