Abstract
Background
Adequate nutrition knowledge (NK) and dietary intake are important to the development in Youth Development Phase (YDP) academy footballers, helping to fuel sporting performance and promote long-term health. However, these areas remain under-researched within English Premier League (EPL) academy settings. This study aimed to investigate NK and energy intake (EI) in YDP academy players, including key stakeholders' knowledge, within a single Category 1 Academy.
Methods
Eighty-three EPL Category 1 YDP academy players (U11s = 17, U12s = 16, U13s = 8, U14s = 17, U15s = 10, and U16s = 15; 14 ± 2 years), 6 academy coaches, 1 YDP sports scientist and 31 caregivers' knowledge was assessed through the 89-item Knowledge and Sports Questionnaire (NSKQ). Twenty-five EPL Category 1 YDP academy players (U12s: n = 8, U13s: n = 9, U14s: n = 5, and U16s: n = 3; 13 ± 2 years) dietary intake was also assessed using an estimated written 7-day food diary collected during the in-season (2023/2024 season, March to May 2023).
Results
Collectively, academy players (33% ± 8%), caregivers (40% ± 13%), and coaches (41% ± 9%) scored poorly on NK. Academy players reported sub-optimal energy intake (1742 ± 314 kcal·day−1 and 38.5 ± 11.4 kcal·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹), accompanied by poor intake of daily carbohydrate (<5 g·kg−1·d−1), and fiber (<25 g/day) referenced to recommended daily intakes. Daily protein intake (1.7 ± 0.5 g·kg−1·d−1) exceeded the recommended intake for adolescent footballers, while fat intake (27% ± 6%) expressed as a percentage of total dietary intake (TDI) was within the guidelines. NK was not correlated with absolute EI, (r(23) = –.187, p = .371, or EI adjusted to BM, (r(23) = .204, p = .329.
Conclusion
The results indicated poor NK and suboptimal dietary intake in EPL Category 1 academy players accompanied by low knowledge among stakeholders.