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    Pre-During-Post Game Nutritional
   Considerations for Soccer Players
                       Shelley H. Bradford, Ed. D, University of South Alabama
       Shelley currently is at the University of South Alabama specializing in teaching undergraduate and
   graduate health education courses in areas such as nutrition and hunger. Over the past three years she has
   also worked with University of South Alabama athletes in nutrition and improving their performance.
   BEG        utrition planning for soccer players is essential to individual as well as team success.  Soc-
   INT        cer coaches and players at all levels should not underestimate the value proper nutrition
   ADVNand hydration have on performance. However, several factors can influence the nutritional
              and hydration needs of soccer players. These factors include: weather, individual playing
   time, game strategies, position, injuries, penalty time, and the variability of opponents. 
   Pre-Competition Nutrition                                     Shelley H. Bradford
       A soccer player’s diets before hard training and competition should include 7 to 10 grams of carbo-
   hydrate per kg of body weight.  Pasta, whole wheat bread, fruits and vegetables are typically good sources
   of carbohydrates.  Adequate carbohydrate intake is important to a soccer player’s performance in the days and hours leading up to
   training and competition. However, players should experiment with which foods work best for them in terms of performance and
   not irritating their gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
       Pre-exercise food choices should be low in fat, moderate in protein and rich in carbohydrates because fat and protein take
   longer to digest and absorb.  Further, carbohydrates are going to be the athlete’s main fuel source during competition. The idea of
   the pre-competition meal is to consume quality calories that are easy to digest. Bagels, cold cereal with skim milk, watery fruits (or-
   anges, watermelon, and grapes) and fluids containing carbohydrates are all good choices (Hedrick Fink, Mikesky, & Burgoon, 2012). 
   During Competition Nutrition
       Carbohydrate consumption during competition and training is essential. It is suggested that soccer athletes consume approx-
   imately 1.0-1.1 grams of carbohydrate per minute during training and competition. Thus, this is approximately 240 to 280 calories
   per hour.  During competition nutrition poses somewhat of a challenge because it can be difficult to consume high quality foods.
   Some suggested items that can be made available during competition are sports drink (6-8% carbohydrate solution), diluted juices
   (1/2 strength), energy bars (high in carbohydrate content), fruit, hard candies, water and gels. Convenience is a factor, but the nutri-
   tional value must also be considered.
   Post Competition Nutrition
       Upon completion of a training session or soccer game players need to re-hydrate and re-fuel their bodies. The consumption
   of carbohydrate and protein should begin as soon as the training session or game is finished. This combination of carbohydrates and
   protein is important in order to replenish what was lost during competition. Carbohydrate consumption within 15 minutes after com-
   petition is critical to help replenish glycogen stores and it can take 24 to 48 hours to replenish glycogen stores. Suggested consumption
   of carbohydrate post exercise is up to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight for players who are most active during the training ses-
   sion or game.  A suggested post training/post competition meal for a 70 kg soccer player would be 8 ounces of fruit juice (25 g of
   carbohydrates), one granola bar (25g), and one cup of low –fat fruit yogurt (40g) (Hedrick Fink, Mikesky, & Burgoon, 2012). 
   Hydration
        Another area of concern for soccer players is maintaining hydration status on a daily basis. Players should be consuming
   enough fluid to urinate every 2-4 hours. Suggested pre-competition fluid guidelines are 16 to 24 ounces of fluid 2 hours before com-
   petition, 8 to 16 ounces of fluid 15 minutes before competition, 6 to 12 ounces every fifteen minutes during exercise and enough
   fluid after exercise to ensure their urine is pale. 
        Water is an appropriate fluid choice for competition that is less than one hour in duration. For competition lasting longer
   than one hour, water + carbohydrates (6-8% solution) are needed. Examples include sports drinks such as Gatorade or PowerAde (6-
   7% solution) and 100% fruit juices that are ½ diluted with water (6% solution). Players must drink on a schedule, not just when they
   are thirsty.  Players who wait to drink until they are thirsty are already dehydrated and performance is affected by being dehydrated
   by only 2-3%.
   Nutrition Reminders
        The first step in helping fuel soccer players for training and competition is to establish the habit of eating small, frequent
   meals (rich in carbohydrates) and maintaining hydration status in the days and hours before strenuous training and competition. Sec-
   ond, players must learn, by trial and error, which foods promote their optimal performance without irritating their (GI) tract.  Once
   players establish their personal food list, they will be able to duplicate this during training and competition to ensure optimal per-
   formance. Further, it is important that coaches and trainers reinforce the idea of proper hydration and the daily need for the con-
                         O
   sumption of quality carbohydrates. 
   References
   Benardot, D. (2006). Advanced Sports Nutrition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
   Clark , N. (2008). Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Chestnut Hill, MA: Healthworks Fitness Center.
   Hendrick Fink, H., Mikesky, A. E., & Burgoon, L. A. (2012). Practical Application in Sports Nutrition (3rd ed. ). MA: Jones and
   Bartlett Publishers. 
   Insel, P., Turner, R. E., & Ross, D. (2007). Nutrition (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
   Kirkendall, D. T. (2004). Creatine, carbs and fluids: How important in soccer nutrition? Sports Science Exchange 94, 17 (3), 1-9. 
   Net Links: contact Shelly at sbradford@usouthal.edu