Performance Nutritionist

What the role involves

• Plan menus with chefs and match-day fuelling
• Advise individual players
• Educate players and families on food

Ways in, with or without formal qualifications

Experience, knowledge and interests count in football. These routes are what people in this role commonly point to.

• Experience

  Work experience and internships

  Placements at clubs, associations, agencies and sports businesses. Often unpaid or low-paid, but the strongest way to get a first contact.

• Experience

  Fitness, gym or sports-coaching background

  Experience in personal training, other sports or fitness helps move into strength and conditioning, performance support and coaching.

Qualifications and licences

Employers commonly ask for one or more of these.

• Short course

  Sports Nutrition Qualifications & Registration

  Nutritionists and dietitians usually hold a relevant degree and register with a professional body. Performance nutrition at clubs requires sports-specific training.

Skills and knowledge

• Sports Nutrition
• Communication
• Load Monitoring

Tools you may use

• Dashboard tools

Where this role is found

• Top-flight clubs
• Academies & youth development
• Women's professional football

Where this role leads

• Head of Performance

  Strongly preferred

  Leads sport science, strength and conditioning and often links with medical and nutrition.

Common stepping stones into this role

Usually an entry point reached directly through study, volunteering, playing or work experience. See the routes below.

Pay and context by region

Illustrative estimates scaled from a UK baseline. Check local job adverts and union or association data.