Acute fuelling and recovery practices of academy soccer players: implications for growth, maturation, and physical performance

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Abstract
Considering that academy soccer players frequently train in the evening (i.e. 17:00-20:00 h), there is often limited time to nutritionally prepare and recover due to schooling, travel and sleep schedules. Accordingly, we assessed the timing and quantity of dietary intake of academy soccer players in the pre-training and post-training period. Over a 3-day in-season training period, male adolescent players (n=48; n=8 from under (U) 12, 13, 14, 15/16, 18 and 23 players) from an English Premier League academy self-reported their dietary intake and physical activity levels (via the remote food photography method and activity diary, respectively) in the four hours before and after training. External training load was also quantified via GPS. Timing of pre-training energy intake ranged from 40 ± 28 mins (U15/U16 players) to 114 ± 71 mins (U18) before training and mean carbohydrate (CHO) intake ranged from 0.8±0.4 g.kg−1 (U23) to 1.5±0.9 g.kg−1 (U12). Timing of post-training energy intake ranged from 39 ± 27 mins (U14) to 70 ± 84 mins (U23) and mean CHO intake ranged from 1.6±0.8 g.kg−1 (U12) to 0.9±0.5 g.kg−1 (U14). In contrast to sub-optimal CHO intakes, all age groups consumed sufficient protein intake in the post-training period (i.e. > 0.3 g.kg−1). We conclude academy soccer players habitually practice sub-optimal acute fuelling and recovery strategies, the consequence of which could impair growth, maturation and physical performance. Player and stakeholder education and behaviour change interventions should therefore target specific behaviours that lead to increased CHO intake before, during and after training.
Funding Information
  • Aston Villa Football Club

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