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Background and Objective <p>Performance nutrition is now an established discipline in professional soccer; however, limited knowledge exists on how practitioners can navigate through the unique cultural environment of the men’s professional game. Accordingly, we explored the perspectives of players and stakeholders from the English Premier League on the attributes they perceive to underpin successful performance nutrition practice.</p> Methods <p>Guided by an interpretivist paradigm with a critical perspective (recognising that reality is also subjectively and socially constructed), qualitative face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively sampled English Premier League stakeholders from August 2024 to December 2024, including players (<i>n</i> = 4), coaches (<i>n</i> = 4), sports scientists (<i>n</i> = 2), physiotherapists (<i>n</i> = 2), a chef (<i>n</i> = 1) and a medical doctor (n = 1). Data were abductively analysed using a thematic analysis informed by Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital and field.</p> Results <p>Three key themes were identified. It is perceived that (1) Field: successful performance nutritionists must recognise and adapt to the hierarchical structure, entrenched cultural norms and doxic practices of professional soccer, adapting their strategies to gain support from coaches, players and staff; (2) Capital: effective performance nutrition practice requires strategic deployment of cultural capital (technical, sports-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge) and social capital (ability to build trust and relationships with key stakeholders) to establish credibility and influence practice; (3) Habitus: the ability to accumulate and mobilise these forms of capital is underpinned by a habitus congruent with elite soccer’s culture, characterised by passion, resilience, adaptability and positivity.</p> Conclusions <p>These data provides a comprehensive interpretation of the unwritten rules of professional soccer, demonstrating that the perceived success for performance nutritionists in the English Premier League extends beyond technical expertise, requiring the ability to navigate tacit field rules, strategically mobilise cultural and social capital&#xa0;and embody a habitus aligned with the values of elite soccer through passion, adaptability, positivity and resilience.</p>

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The Rules of the Game: Towards a Theory of Practice for Performance Nutritionists in Professional Soccer Using Bourdieu’s Concepts of Habitus, Capital and Field

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月8日

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  • Wee Lun Foo,
  • Colum J. Cronin,
  • Graeme L. Close,
  • James P. Morton

摘要

Background and Objective

Performance nutrition is now an established discipline in professional soccer; however, limited knowledge exists on how practitioners can navigate through the unique cultural environment of the men’s professional game. Accordingly, we explored the perspectives of players and stakeholders from the English Premier League on the attributes they perceive to underpin successful performance nutrition practice.

Methods

Guided by an interpretivist paradigm with a critical perspective (recognising that reality is also subjectively and socially constructed), qualitative face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively sampled English Premier League stakeholders from August 2024 to December 2024, including players (n = 4), coaches (n = 4), sports scientists (n = 2), physiotherapists (n = 2), a chef (n = 1) and a medical doctor (n = 1). Data were abductively analysed using a thematic analysis informed by Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital and field.

Results

Three key themes were identified. It is perceived that (1) Field: successful performance nutritionists must recognise and adapt to the hierarchical structure, entrenched cultural norms and doxic practices of professional soccer, adapting their strategies to gain support from coaches, players and staff; (2) Capital: effective performance nutrition practice requires strategic deployment of cultural capital (technical, sports-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge) and social capital (ability to build trust and relationships with key stakeholders) to establish credibility and influence practice; (3) Habitus: the ability to accumulate and mobilise these forms of capital is underpinned by a habitus congruent with elite soccer’s culture, characterised by passion, resilience, adaptability and positivity.

Conclusions

These data provides a comprehensive interpretation of the unwritten rules of professional soccer, demonstrating that the perceived success for performance nutritionists in the English Premier League extends beyond technical expertise, requiring the ability to navigate tacit field rules, strategically mobilise cultural and social capital and embody a habitus aligned with the values of elite soccer through passion, adaptability, positivity and resilience.