Directors of Sport and academy leads carry a growing duty of care. Student-athletes now train at near semi-professional volumes while managing full academic timetables. When performance drops or injuries cluster, the cause is often off the pitch, not the coaching on it.

Study, growth and training share one budget

Young athletes need energy to grow, to learn and to train. Exams, boarding schedules and poor sleep all add to the recovery they need. Stack a multi-day tournament — such as FOBISIA or BSME fixtures — on top of a student who isn't eating enough, and fatigue, illness and injury become far more likely (Bergeron et al., 2015).

Protecting developing athletes

  • RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport): when intake doesn't cover training plus growth, the body cuts back. Risks include poorer bone development, bone stress injuries, hormone and menstrual disruption, low mood and worse performance. It affects boys as well as girls (Mountjoy et al., 2023).
  • Tournament recovery: with several games in 48 hours, refuelling has to be planned. After each game, aim for carbohydrate at around 1.0–1.2 g per kg of body weight per hour for the first few hours, plus 20–30 g of protein, through meals and snacks (Thomas et al., 2016; Desbrow et al., 2014).
  • Exam periods: consider reducing high-intensity training during exam weeks and keeping meals regular, with focus on movement quality and sleep. Adjust case by case rather than by a fixed percentage.

A whole-school framework

  • Clear fuelling guidance: simple day-before and day-after match plans for boarding and day students, built around what the dining hall actually serves.
  • Staff training: help coaches, S&C and pastoral staff spot early warning signs — mood changes, persistent tiredness, repeated bone stress injuries, missed or irregular periods, rapid weight change.
  • Joined-up monitoring: look at growth, wellbeing, training load and the academic calendar together, and refer to medical staff early when red flags appear.

Quick checklist

  • Academic load and sleep affect recovery as much as training.
  • Under-eating during growth puts bone health at risk.
  • Plan refuelling between tournament games — don't leave it to chance.
  • Align pastoral, medical and coaching staff on warning signs and referral.