Fuel the engine
Training is only half the work — what a young player eats and drinks decides how much of it actually sticks. This is the everyday framework we recommend, plus what to eat around a session or match day.
Habits that beat any single meal
Build the everyday plate
Every meal should roughly be half vegetables or fruit, a quarter carbohydrates (pasta, rice, potatoes, bread) and a quarter protein (chicken, fish, eggs, beans). Young players who train hard need more fuel than their friends — a balanced plate at every meal is the base.
Protein with every meal
Protein repairs training-damaged muscle. Chicken, fish, eggs, milk, yoghurt, beans and lentils across the day — roughly a palm-sized portion per meal does it. No need for protein shakes at this age: real food wins.
Hydrate all day, not just at training
A young player should drink 6–8 glasses of water across the day, more on training days. If you start a session already thirsty, you're already behind. Fizzy drinks don't count — water or milk do.
Never skip breakfast
Toast, cereal, porridge, eggs or yoghurt — breakfast tops up the fuel stores a training session or match will burn. A player who skips breakfast trains on an empty tank and it shows in the second half.
The session-day timeline
The main pre-session meal
This is the meal that powers the session. Carbohydrate-focused, moderate protein, low fat — fat and fibre sit heavy in the stomach and slow everything down.
Top-up snack
If it's been a while since the main meal, or the player is genuinely hungry, keep it light and easy to digest.
Fluids only
Small, regular sips of water at every break. No food needed during a 60-minute session unless a coach says otherwise.
Recovery refuel
The muscles refuel fastest in the hour after training. Carbs to restock energy, protein to repair — it doesn't need to be a supplement, a normal snack does the job.
Leave out on session days
- Fizzy drinks — they bloat the stomach and provide nothing useful
- Sweets & chocolate bars in the hour before — sugar spike then crash
- Heavy, fatty or fried food in the 2–3 hours before — it sits undigested
- Energy drinks — never for young players, at any time
A winning match-day example
Breakfast: porridge with banana and honey, plus a glass of milk.
Lunch (2–3 hours before): pasta with chicken and tomato sauce, with a yoghurt after.
1 hour before: half a bagel with jam or a banana, sipping water.
Straight after: chocolate milk and a piece of fruit, then a proper evening meal — fish, potatoes and plenty of vegetables.
Then the most underrated supplement of all: an early night.
This guide is general advice for healthy, active young players — not a prescription. If the player has an allergy, a medical condition or you have concerns about their diet, speak with the parent or guardian's GP. Players with allergies recorded at intake are always accounted for at ARFD sessions.