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Sunday, December 21, 2025

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WSL football develops groundbreaking nutrition
guidance

WSL Football, in collaboration with The Well HQ, have joined forces – with support from Subway® - to develop groundbreaking guidance to highlight the impact of female-focused fuelling for women playing sport.

WSL Football’s league and performance development team works with clubs across both divisions to identify education opportunities in the female athlete health space through regular dialogue with players and staff and have developed a world-first in nutrition guidance in response to a survey that outlined:

•     80% of players surveyed had low knowledge about the impact nutrition can have on their menstrual cycle.
•     20% of players reported their periods stopping for more than three months – a possible indicator of nutrition-based issues.
•     Clubs across both leagues would welcome more support on how players could approach nutrition to fuel their lives.

As a result of the feedback, female-focused fuelling and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDS) were highlighted as a key focus area for WSL Football due to the limited research conducted on them.

REDS is a syndrome caused by women not taking on adequate fuel to support the amount of energy being expended, and this can cause challenges with performance and long-term medical challenges.

It was also identified that under fuelling poses an additional risk for women taking part in sport at any level, with it impacting performance, affecting recovery times, bone mineral density and menstrual cycles.

To support medical staff at clubs, they have been provided with a Best Guidance document on Female-Focused Fuelling and REDS, developed in collaboration with The Well HQ.

Funded by Subway® – title partner of the Women’s League Cup – this guidance exemplifies their Fresh Moves initiative: a commitment to supporting emerging sports, empowering female athletes, and championing physical activity for all.

The guidance was recently unveiled at a league-wide workshop with medical staff from clubs across Barclays WSL and Barclays WSL2 and was delivered by WSL Football’s Performance Support team and Dr Emma Ross, of The Well HQ.

To spread the word on the importance of fuelling and nutrition for women engaged in sport at any level, Everton defender, Maz Pacheco - a player with a decade of experience playing at the highest level of the women’s game - will take on an advocacy role with WSL Football and Subway®.

Wider assistance available to clubs in this space also includes a cross-league 'Nutrition Community of Practice', a learning and development offer using a range of additional experts, and general consultancy with league performance staff.

Andy Hudson – Head of Performance Support for WSL Football – said: “Creating this guidance, with support from The Well HQ and Subway®, is in direct response to feedback from our clubs and players.

“These are elite athletes who require elite performance environments to perform at their best, and make the women’s game the best it can possibly be.

“We want to empower players and club practitioners to feel confident in understanding the role that nutrition plays, and the way they fuel themselves can enhance their performance.

“Additionally, we firmly believe that this can have an overall societal impact – whether it’s a professional player or a young woman playing football recreationally, the importance of nutrition cannot be underestimated.”

Matt Flint, Senior Brand and Strategy Manager for Subway®, added: "Female-focused nutrition guidance was central to our partnership with WSL Football from day one because we recognised the real gap in support for female athletes.

“This isn't just about professional players – through our Fresh Moves initiative, we're committed to breaking down barriers to physical activity for all women and girls.

“By investing in this groundbreaking research, we're helping to transform how female athletes fuel their bodies and, ultimately, how they perform. The findings around REDS and under-fuelling are sobering, but they represent a real opportunity to drive lasting change across women's sport at every level.

“We're proud that Subway can play a role in raising standards, empowering female athletes to thrive, and helping women's football – and women's sport more broadly – reach its full potential."

Maz Pacheco said: "I’m so excited to be supporting WSL Football and Subway® in raising awareness around the importance of nutrition for women in football and beyond.

“Throughout my career, I’ve seen huge progress in this space, so to now play a part in spreading that message - and hopefully helping not only players, but all women - think about how they fuel their bodies to be the best they can be feels incredibly meaningful.”