Foundation Certificate in Soccer Nutrition

Nutrition is a fundamental component of individual and team sports, and this course will help you to understand where nutritional discipline can assist with marginal gains. You will develop your understanding of the key energy sources required to perform repeated high-intensity and explosive movements within the intermittent nature of soccer is vital. You will also learn how to fuel players to perform and recover from both training and competitive games across a range of levels of the game. This foundation certificate in soccer nutrition will benefit practitioners and coaches as well as their players by gaining an in-depth knowledge of nutrition.

Course Content

Module 1 Energy balance and body composition: basics of soccer physiology

• Led by Sam McHaffie.
• Explore the energy demands of football players.
• Understand the equation of energy expenditure to energy consumption.
• Body composition testing and manipulation in conjunction with energy balance, food and the basics of soccer physiology.

Module 2 Understanding macro- and micro-nutrients

• Led by Dr. Eirini Manthou.
• Explore macro- and micro-nutrients in detail, including their sources, structure, function and availability.
• Micro-nutrients, vitamins and minerals and their role in a dietary plan.
• Developing a dietary plan and how to positively affect your players through nutritional principles.

Module 3 Soccer health and wellness (vitamins and minerals)

• Led by Matthew Jones.
• Examine the health and food foundations.
• Explore further into vitamins and minerals.
• Practical recommendations for the use of food types and plant derived nutrients.

Module 4 Fluid balance and soccer specific

• Led by Virginia Santesteban.
• Thermoregulation in physical demands of soccer.
• The influence of hydration status.
• Review the consequences of dehydration and hyperhydration.
• Specific beverages and examples for rehydration.

Module 5 Training, match and recovery fuelling: soccer nutrition to perform

• Led by Dr. Adam Owen.
• Macro-nutrient importance, with emphasis on the glycemic index and carbohydrate response.
• Important fuelling strategies for maximum performance.

Module 6 Maximising nutrition through injury.

• Led by Faisal Alshawa.
• Examine soccer specific injury characteristics and how nutrition for injury can play an important role.
• Positive and negative effects of nutrition on inflammation in the recovery process.
• Muscle loss and the building process.

Module 7 The role of nutrition for the female soccer player

• Led by Yasemin Batmaca.
• Nutrition for female soccer players and their physiological challenges.
• Specific macro- and micro-nutrient needs.
• Dietary supplements for female players to ensure peak performance.

Module 8 An introduction to nutritional supplementation and ergogenic aids

• Led by Matthew Jones.
• Explore the definition and application of supplements.
• The importance of supplements.
• Theoretical framework to help with decision making.
• Safe application of supplemental interventions.