Why team athletes need a unique nutrition strategy

As a hockey player, footballer or volleyball player, you've probably experienced the feeling that you were mentally and physically a little less sharp in the last twenty minutes of a match. Or perhaps you notice that you can't keep sprinting throughout the entire game like you'd want to. There's a good chance this isn't just down to your fitness, but also your nutrition.

Team sports are a completely different ball game to running or strength training. And that means your body needs different fuel. The good news? Once you understand this, you can give yourself a huge advantage over your opponents.

Team sports are a unique combination (and that's what makes them interesting)

The difference between endurance athletes and strength athletes lies in the type of exertion you undertake. A marathon runner runs 42 kilometres at a fairly stable pace. A powerlifter does a few heavy repetitions and then rests. But you? As a team athlete, you combine the best of both worlds, and that makes your nutritional needs more complex.

Scientific research shows that during team sports activities, your muscles are stressed in many different ways, leading to a significant depletion of your energy stores.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5872716/You sprint for a ball, stand still for a moment, accelerate again, make a tackle or block, jump for a ball. This constant variation demands both endurance and explosive power. Unlike pure endurance athletes who primarily need constant energy, or strength athletes who primarily rely on short bursts.

Studies of team sports show that players who become low in glycogen, particularly in the final stages of matches, display reduced performance, with fewer sprints and a reduced reaction time.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2022.876534/fullThis pattern is seen in virtually all team sports, from hockey and basketball to handball and rugby.

Why carbohydrates are your secret weapon

This is where the main difference with strength athletes lies: as a team athlete, you have a high requirement for carbohydrates. Recent research in professional team sports shows that higher carbohydrate intake is positively correlated with the total distance covered during matches.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2024.1524748/fullThis means that someone weighing 70 kg needs between 350 and 560 grams of carbohydrates per day on training days.

For a strength athlete, this is much lower because they primarily focus on building muscle and are not engaged in intense activity for as long. Their diet mainly revolves around protein. For endurance athletes, the carbohydrate values are similar or even higher, but that's where the comparison ends. This is because endurance sports involve one long period of exertion, whereas as a team athlete, you continuously deplete and partially refill your glycogen stores (your fuel tank) due to the constant changes in intensity.

In practice, this means: ensure every meal contains carbohydrates. Think of porridge or bread for breakfast, rice or pasta for lunch and dinner, and a banana or cracker as a snack. Research shows it is important to have your last carbohydrate-rich main meal two to three hours before a competition, so that you go onto the field well-fuelled without feeling full in your stomach.

Proteins: important, but not as you think

Proteins are important for every athlete, but here too there are differences. Strength athletes have the highest protein requirement (1.6-2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight) because they are constantly engaged in building muscle mass. Studies show that endurance athletes need about 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-025-02203-8).

For team sports players, the requirement is at a similar level: around 1.5-1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, with particular attention to distribution throughout the day. However, this can vary depending on your sport and position. Do you play a power-intensive team sport like rugby or handball? Or are you a defender who engages in a lot of physical duels? Then your protein requirement may be at the higher end or even slightly above. For more technical positions or sports with less physical contact, the lower end of this range often suffices.

Scientific research confirms that consuming carbohydrates combined with approximately 20 grams of protein within two hours of exercise optimises glycogen replenishment and muscle recovery.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4672015/The 20 grams is a practical figure to remember for your recovery meal. This amount is found, for example, in 100 grams of chicken breast, 3 eggs, a large tub of quark, or 600 ml of chocolate milk. This principle applies to all athletes who train intensively, but the total daily protein intake does vary by sport type and position.

During the game: sweat is your best friend

There is another important difference compared to strength athletes. Because as a team sports player you are active for a long time and move a lot, you lose a lot of fluid. For matches lasting longer than an hour, a sports drink with carbohydrates and electrolytes can be beneficial. Especially in warm conditions. The electrolytes (such as sodium) help to replenish fluid loss more effectively and prevent dehydration.

Research shows that team sports players consume approximately 1 litre of fluid per training session on average, but this is often insufficient to compensate for fluid loss.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2023.2191093Studies indicate that a fluid intake of approximately 10-19 ml per kilogram of body weight is associated with better performance during longer sessions (over 110 minutes). For a 70 kg person, this means consuming around 700-1330 ml of fluid during a match or training session.

The exact amount you need varies greatly from person to person, as sweat losses can range from 0.5 to 3 litres per hour.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5603646/This depends on factors such as your body size, how intensely you exercise, and the ambient temperature.

Practical moisture advice: Drink 500-600 ml water or sports drink 2-3 hours before the match, and continue to drink small amounts regularly during the match.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8336541/). The aim is not to lose more than 21% of your body weight during exercise. During rest periods: keep drinking. Even if it’s just a sip or five, it helps to maintain your concentration and reaction times.

This is much less relevant for strength athletes. Their training sessions are shorter and less intensive in continuous nature. Endurance athletes, on the other hand, have similar or even higher fluid needs, especially during long efforts where they need to keep drinking on the go.

The practice: your advantage in the last twenty minutes

Now for the concrete part that matters. If, as a team athlete, you manage your nutrition better than your opponent, you have a huge advantage in the final stages of a match. While others slow down and are less sharp, you can still sprint and make the right choices.

Ensure a good foundation with three meals a day that are rich in carbohydrates and a decent portion of protein. Eat your last large meal two to three hours before your training or competition. Immediately afterwards: recovery meal with that 20 grams of protein and a portion of carbohydrates. Chocolate milk is popular for a reason because it contains the ideal ratio of carbohydrates and proteins for recovery.

And creatine? A systematic review and meta-analysis in team sports shows that creatine supplementation has mainly beneficial effects on anaerobic performance, such as repeated sprintshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6520963/Recent research confirms that creatine increases phosphocreatine stores, which is important for short sprints.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37096381/Endurance athletes won't benefit much from this, but for you as a team athlete who constantly makes short explosive movements, it can make a difference. Creatine is safe to use if you stick to the recommended dosage and follow the instructions. If you have any doubts or questions, you can always consult a sports nutrition coach.

The beauty is: you don't need to follow expensive supplements or complicated plans. With normal food from the supermarket and some attention to timing, you can get very far. And that gives you the energy to make that decisive sprint in the 85th minute, while your opponent is already running on empty.