The role of the chef in professional football: a survey of current practice in the English Premier and Football Leagues

Despite the increasing presence of chefs in professional football and their influence on nutrition provision, evidence on the specific roles and responsibilities of chefs remains limited. This study aimed to explore the role(s) of chefs and describe the characteristics of catering services within English professional football. Sixty-two chefs (56 males, 6 females) in club supervisory positions within the top four divisions of the English male football pyramid were surveyed during the 2022–2023 season. Participants were predominantly male, aged 35–44 years, and employed on full-time permanent contracts. Sixteen participants had the term ‘performance’ in their contracted job title. Participants averaged 24 years of chef work experience, 8 years of football-specific experience, and 45 working hours per week. Twenty-nine participants had responsibility for providing nutrition advice to players, whereas the vast majority used nutritional supplements and produced bespoke nutritional items as part of the catering services provided. Most participants rated their sport nutrition knowledge from ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ although only 18 had undertaken formal sport nutrition training. Fifty-one participants frequently followed a periodised nutrition approach, however 31 lacked defined nutrition targets. Tasks such as travelling to fixtures, hotel menu planning, and hotel food provision were most frequent in the Premier League. Catering services in the Premier League mostly operated year-round, seven days a week, employing 4 or more chefs, and spending £6,000 or more per week, with declining operations, costs, and staffing towards the lower divisions. Forty-nine services covered male academy teams alongside the male senior team. Only 15 covered female senior teams, of which 7 extended coverage to female academy teams. Chefs undertake key roles both at and away from the club training ground to implement sport nutrition strategies. Inconsistencies in strategy implementation and catering practices were identified, along with league disparities and gender inequalities in service provision. Our findings underscore the need for a quality-assurance framework for accreditation and increased opportunities for chef-tailored sport nutrition education. We advocate for the title ‘sport chef’, and the establishment of a regulatory body to support the practice of chefs working in professional football.