We all know how important a good nutrition strategy is for athletes of all levels and disciplines, but how does putting one in place with players actually work? We’ve caught up with St Helen’s RFC, who in that past three years alone have celebrated being three-time Super League winners and one-time Challenge Cup champions, to see how they tackle getting players involved with nutrition and performance. 

Matt Daniels, head of strength and conditioning at the Super League club, gave us his valuable insight as to how he keeps his players engaged with nutrition.

How Has Nutrition Strategy Improved Player Performance?  

"Nutrition underpins everything we do with the players and, as such, the education of the group around this area is a very important factor. As a club, this education begins within the scholarship age groups, with workshops and individual meetings with both players and parents. We operate a ‘food first’ approach at all age groups and encourage players to be independent and organised with this in order to maximise both training gains and recovery. With lockdown restrictions in place, players really embraced independent meal prep and bringing everything they needed nutritionally throughout a training a day, which has continued due to the positive performance outcomes players have had in the gym, on the training field and, most importantly, on game day." 

Game day at St Helens

Is Nutrition Important to Players?  

"As with all groups, we have a mix of individuals, some of whom are borderline obsessed with nutrition and some of whom see good nutrition as part of the job they have to do. Throughout the group they all value its importance. The education side of that from an early age certainly helps to encourage this initially and then seeing the benefits first-hand reinforces that message. The beauty of our group is that our leaders all place an extremely high value on nutrition and are very professional with their approach, which then filters throughout the group; particularly with young players moving into the first team. These leaders are extremely knowledgeable in nutrition and are able to help and advise other squad members, which is extremely powerful and a massive help to us as staff. " 

How Do You Make Nutrition Fun? 

"In terms of player engagement, we try to provide a team feed at least once a week at the stadium, so the whole group is able to sit down together and eat. This is as much about player connection as it is about the food they are eating. The club chef does a great job of providing a variety of foods that meet the nutritional requirements of every individual."  

Player Relationship with Food & Nutrition 

"Since COVID restrictions have been put in place, our daily training schedule has changed dramatically, with the training day a lot shorter and more intense than it was previously. This causes some issues in players’ timings for food intake around heavy lifting sessions or intense field conditioning sessions. The concurrent nature of this means that the Nutrition X products have been invaluable in preventing players from entering a catabolic state. The vast range of products ensures players have a belt and braces approach to nutrition and any potential gaps are adequately covered."