Background and Aim

Professional soccer players’ self-reported dietary intakes often do not meet recommended sport nutrition guidelines. Although behaviour change models have previously explored barriers and enablers to nutritional adherence, the cultural factors influencing players’ nutritional habits also warrant investigation. Accordingly, we aimed to explore players’ perceptions of the nutrition culture within the professional soccer environment.

Methods

An interpretivist paradigm, which emphasises that reality is subjectively and socially constructed, underpins this study. Qualitative, face-to-face semi-structured interviews (comprising open-ended questions) were conducted with purposively sampled male soccer players from the English Premier League (EPL) (five British, five migrant; mean age: 26 ± 6 years; mean EPL appearances: 106 ± 129). Data were abductively analysed using thematic analysis according to Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, field and doxa practices.

Results

This study revealed five key themes: (1) players’ habitus, as shaped by familial, ethnic and religious backgrounds, influences their dietary habits; (2) social capital, via managers (head coaches), teammates and online influences, impact players’ dietary practices; (3) the increase in both soccer clubs’ and players’ economic capitals has advanced nutrition provision; (4) an unequal distribution of economic capitals has led to hierarchical practice in the performance nutrition field with personalised nutrition being somewhat enacted at the higher levels; and (5) body composition measurement is a ‘doxic’ practice in professional soccer that warrants challenge.

Conclusions

Soccer players’ habitual nutritional practices are influenced by personal upbringing and the club context, including economic resources and social capital from managers. The performance nutrition field within professional soccer is also shaped by stakeholders’ doxic beliefs surrounding the perceived optimal body composition of players, with managers exerting social capital.

中文翻译：

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职业男子足球运动员对英超足球俱乐部营养文化的看法：使用 Bourdieu 的 habitus、capital 和 field 概念进行定性探索

 背景和目的

职业足球运动员自我报告的饮食摄入量通常不符合推荐的运动营养指南。尽管行为改变模型之前已经探索了营养依从性的障碍和推动因素，但影响球员营养习惯的文化因素也值得调查。因此，我们旨在探索球员在职业足球环境中对营养文化的看法。

 方法

解释主义范式强调现实是主观和社会建构的，是本研究的基础。对来自英超联赛 （EPL） 的有目的地抽样的男性足球运动员（5 名英国人，5 名移民;平均年龄：26 ± 6 岁;平均 EPL 出场次数：106 ± 129 次）进行了定性、面对面的半结构化访谈（包括开放式问题）。根据 Bourdieu 的 habitus、capital、field 和 doxa 实践概念，使用主题分析对数据进行归纳分析。

 结果

本研究揭示了五个关键主题：（1） 玩家的习惯，由家庭、种族和宗教背景塑造，影响他们的饮食习惯;（2） 社会资本，通过经理（主教练）、队友和在线影响，影响球员的饮食习惯;（3） 足球俱乐部和球员经济资本的增加促进了营养供应;（4） 经济资本的不平等分配导致了运动营养领域的等级实践，个性化营养在更高层次上有所实施;（5） 身体成分测量是职业足球中的一种“doxic”做法，值得挑战。

 结论

足球运动员的习惯性营养习惯受到个人教养和俱乐部环境的影响，包括来自经理的经济资源和社会资本。职业足球中的表现营养领域也受到利益相关者围绕球员最佳身体成分的 doxic 信念的影响，经理们发挥着社会资本。