DIET and nutrition are vital in maintaining a footballer’s health.

While there isn’t a specific diet each footballer must follow, there are certain restrictions they need to adhere to in order to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle.

St Kilda Football Club nutritionist, Ingrid Hilton, works with the boys to ensure they get the right balance of nutrition that’s required for their demanding lifestyles.  She also consults with players individually to assess how they’re coping with their diets and often conducts cooking classes for those who have little cooking experience.

“We’re doing a nutrition class with three of them that live together.  That’s to improve their skills within the kitchen and also from a nutritional perspective so they are taught how to actually put a meal together that has the right requirements for what they’re eating,” Ms Hilton said.

With half of the players in their early 20s, joining the club meant for most that they had to move away from home and cook by themselves for the first time, and because of their schedules, it’s often easier to live together.


Rookie Jimmy Webster moved in with his teammates at the start of this year.

“We live together, myself, Arryn Siposs and Jackson Ferguson.  Siposs normally cooks at home,” he said.

“(These cooking classes) help us out a little bit.  We’ve got to watch how much protein and all of that sort of stuff we intake and it’s been a benefit so far.”

The players are encouraged to eat a lot of pasta to get the right amount carbohydrate they need, and protein to help with their muscle development.

“We have to be very careful of the carbohydrate content, of the fat content and of the protein elements that they actually need for a full day of training,” Ms Hilton concluded.

The Musashi High Performance Report gives Saints fans an inside look into the St Kilda Football players’ training routines and nutrition.