WSL Football has joined forces with The Well HQ to develop groundbreaking guidance on female-focused fuelling.
Supported by Subway, the guidances strives to highlight the impact of nutritional awareness for women playing sport.
To spread the word on the importance of fuelling and nutrition for women engaged in sport at any level, Everton defender Maz Pacheco has taken on an advocacy role with WSL Football.
Pacheco said, “Throughout my career, I’ve seen huge progress in this space, so to now play a part in spreading that message – and hopefully helping not only players, but all women – think about how they fuel their bodies to be the best they can be feels incredibly meaningful.”
WSL Football’s Head of Performance Support, Andy Hudson, explained, “These are elite athletes who require elite performance environments to perform at their best, and make the women’s game the best it can possibly be.”
He continued, “We want to empower players and club practitioners to feel confident in understanding the role that nutrition plays, and the way they fuel themselves can enhance their performance.
“Additionally, we firmly believe that this can have an overall societal impact – whether it’s a professional player or a young woman playing football recreationally, the importance of nutrition cannot be underestimated.”
WSL Football want to close the research gap in women’s sport
Research carried out by WSL Football’s league and performance development team found that:
- 80% of players surveyed had low knowledge about the impact nutrition can have on their menstrual cycle.
- 20% of players reported their periods stopping for more than three months – a possible indicator of nutrition-based issues.
- Clubs across both leagues would welcome more support on how players could approach nutrition to fuel their lives.
The survey identified Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDS) as key focus areas for WSL Football due to limited existing research on the subject.
REDS occurs when a person does not consume enough energy (calories) to help meet the demands of their training, which then leads to low energy availability. This can cause challenges with performance and long-term medical problems.
WSL Football said it was also identified that under-fuelling poses an additional risk for women taking part in sport at any level, with it impacting performance, affecting recovery times, bone mineral density and menstrual cycles.
WSL Football added that it works with clubs across both the WSL and WSL2 to identify education opportunities in the female athlete health space through regular dialogue with players and staff. In response to the survey conducted by the league and performance development team, a world-first in nutrition guidance has been unveiled.
