Elena Efstathiou - BFC 1st Team Nutritionist

[Gawain]

The BBC is currently running a feature on (non-playing) careers in Football.

Today's report is on the role of Nutritionist, with a profile of Elena.

There is a 5 minute video interviewing her and following her as she goes about her job at the Training Ground, but it is embedded in such a way that I can't seem to upload it here (also a transcript supplied). Anyhow if you open the link below, you can click on the video:
How I got my job as nutritionist for a Premier League football club - BBC Bitesize

 

[RodBee]

Blimey! You can earn up to £100,000 telling people what to eat???

Nice work if you can get it!!!

 

[HerefordB]

Interesting video. Smart lady and very well qualified.

 

[Guildford Bee]

Blimey! You can earn up to £100,000 telling people what to eat???

Nice work if you can get it!!!

It’s an important job

 

[pompeybee]

Blimey! You can earn up to £100,000 telling people what to eat???

Nice work if you can get it!!!

But only if you work for a Premier League football club.

 

[hanworthbee]

Nothing wrong with chicken nuggets and beans

 

[Wouldbee]

Nothing wrong with chicken nuggets and beans

If you want to finish top twenty in league two

 

[bexleybee]

Blimey! You can earn up to £100,000 telling people what to eat???

Nice work if you can get it!!!

but the average is £32-48k, not a massive whack having committed to a degree

 

[Gawain]

What I took from it is not just that she's well qualified, which she is, but also that she's very cheerful and clearly enjoys her job.

And it is very important to have people like that around the workplace, in any "industry".

 

[Banana]

Blimey! You can earn up to £100,000 telling people what to eat???

Nice work if you can get it!!!

Yeah just pop down to the training ground and offer them some chips and collect your £100,000. Cash.

 

[hairman]

Blimey! You can earn up to £100,000 telling people what to eat???

Nice work if you can get it!!!

Blimey! You can earn up to £400,000 a week kicking a football around a patch of grass.

Nice work if you can get it!!!

 

[Westlad]

I suppose it we have a player wage bill of more than £65m a year (wild guess) it doesn't need a nutritionist to have that much impact to justify their meagre £0.1million salary

 

[Banana]

I suppose it we have a player wage bill of more than £65m a year (wild guess) it doesn't need a nutritionist to have that much impact to justify their meagre £0.1million salary

She will be on nowhere near that.

It's a great video. She's obviously doing a job she loves and it shows. Very interesting to see that she says it's about the soft skills and earning players' trust. I did hear that a few players had their own nutritionist. Not sure if that is still the case. She also referred to Josh's come back vs WHU and how much that that meant to everyone and her. Good luck Elena!

 

[Chorlton Bee]

Smart, articulate, passionate about her job.

Good for her.

 

[GuyBee]

Smart, articulate, passionate about her job.

Good for her.

That comes out loud and clear.......but reading between the lines she obviously hasnt just coasted, getting jobs when still studying, networking, volunteering etc, just being proactive.

There is a lot of good career advice in there for anyone, in any career.

 

[bexleybee]

"Kitman?! You're telling me there's someone who's paid to wash clothes and stick badges on?"

 

[lanzabee]

I remember reading somewhere that Spurs employ an organic gardener to optimise nutrition levels in their players diets. The lengths clubs now go to in order to gain an edge....

 

[Ghost]

Who's going to tell Vitaly about his Nutella sandwiches?

 

[Untouchable]

What a great video. A very engaging and enthusiastic young lady!

 

[hanworthbee]

I remember reading somewhere that Spurs employ an organic gardener to optimise nutrition levels in their players diets. The lengths clubs now go to in order to gain an edge....

Sounds like they need a new one

 

[WombleBee]

It's quite ironic that a person who is in academic terms far more qualified than the vast majority of the clients she is advising will be earning far less than they are though I suppose football ability isn't reliant on academic qualifications.

 

[Banana]

It's quite ironic that a person who is in academic terms far more qualified than the vast majority of the clients she is advising will be earning far less than they are though I suppose football ability isn't reliant on academic qualifications.

Happens in a lot of industries. Medecine and Law off the top of my head!

 

[londonlegal]

Happens in a lot of industries. Medecine and Law off the top of my head!

Absolutely; I’ve thought for a long time there should be a flag day for lawyers.

 

[Banana]

Absolutely; I’ve thought for a long time there should be a flag day for lawyers.

I meant the qualifications bit., not the pay!

 

[grepo]

Blimey! You can earn up to £100,000 telling people what to eat???

Nice work if you can get it!!!

...and what not to eat and how much how little, timing/pattern of eating. Potentially very complex, but just how evidence based?

 

[grepo]

Happens in a lot of industries. Medecine and Law off the top of my head!

...certainly, but there are far greater rewards than money. The wealthiest are far from being the most content.

 

[northbrooklynbee]

...and what not to eat and how much how little, timing/pattern of eating. Potentially very complex, but just how evidence based?

I would imagine, or expect, it to be tremendously evidence based.
Caloric intake, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, sleep cycle patterns, allergies, etc. are all recordable data points.
A lot of sports medicine comes from the military, where they can explore the effects of diet, sleep, training, and recovery on large groups.
All of that would be evidence based.
Likely well interwoven with the physio team, especially with regard to the training/recovery cycles.

 

[hairman]

I remember reading somewhere that Spurs employ an organic gardener to optimise nutrition levels in their players diets. The lengths clubs now go to in order to gain an edge....

Clearly not been enough of an edge. Perhaps they need to employ a 'kick up the arse' specialist.