Farncombe, Godalming, United Kingdom: Award-winning sports broadcaster and presenter Laura Woods teamed up with M&S Food in order to be part of their Eat Well, Play Well: Grassroots campaign, an initiative helping grassroots clubs across the UK to elevate their nutrition offering. Visiting Farncombe Youth FC, Woods was joined by M&S Senior Nutritionist Sophia Thistlethwaite, to cook players a balanced and nutritious chicken and rice one pot recipe from M&S. Woods joins fellow campaign ambassadors Ian Wright, Jill Scott, Peter Crouch and Rob Beckett in championing healthier eating at grassroots clubs.
The visit comes as new M&S Food research reveals a gap in nutrition support at grassroots level. A nationwide survey of more than 200 grassroots football coaches found that almost a third (31%) would welcome training to offer nutritional advice to their players, while only around one in seven (15%) feel confident guiding parents or players when asked.
To kick off the day, Laura visited the brand-new M&S Foodhall in Godalming, the biggest in the UK, where she and Sophia stocked up on high-protein ingredients. From there, the pair headed to Farncombe Youth FC, teaming up with Emma Branson, the club’s referee, pitch and training coordinator, as well as matchday cook, to prepare a chicken and rice one pot designed as a balanced post-training meal to help the young players refuel and support recovery.
The recipe was inspired by ‘Food Formations’, M&S and The FA’s simple, expert-backed game plan for eating well, developed by FA nutritionists to help young players and their families understand how to build balanced meals around training and matchdays. The dish followed aspects of the ‘2-2-2: Eating for Recovery’ formation, combining carbohydrates, protein and vegetables to help replenish energy and support muscle recovery after a hard training session. With a focus on protein to support muscle repair, alongside carbohydrates to refuel and vegetables to support recovery and overall wellbeing, the meal showed how simple choices can help players recover and prepare for their next session.
Reflecting on the day, Laura Woods said: "Whether these players grow up to play in the park with their friends or for their country, community clubs like Farncombe Youth FC are absolutely vital for the UK’s footballing future and run entirely by volunteers, so I’m so pleased to help them learn more about their nutrition with M&S Eat Well, Play Well."
M&S Senior Nutritionist Sophia Thistlethwaite added that: “Nutrition plays such an important role in helping young players feel their best, both on and off the pitch. We’re delighted to bring the Eat Well, Play Well Grassroots Edition to Farncombe Youth FC, and show that eating well can be simple, enjoyable and accessible for everyone, while helping young players build healthy habits that can last a lifetime.”
Farncombe Youth FC was founded in 1975. The club now supports more than 670 players across 46 teams, including nine girls' teams and around 150 girls playing regularly. The club is entirely volunteers run, with a handful of locals keeping everything going.
Co-chair Ed Fenner discussed what it means to be part of Farncombe Youth FC: "We’re all volunteers and that increases the community feel of the club, it brings us all together, it’s like spending time with your friends, like a wider family."
Emma, who feeds the players on matchdays, echoed that spirit: "Our coaches work hard to create a nurturing environment." She added that her hope is that "if the girls see a healthy example set at the club, they’ll take those habits home too."
The players were happy too, with Laura, Sophia and Emma’s cooking receiving a “10 out of 10”.
M&S Food is now developing practical, affordable recipe ideas for clubs, helping coaches and volunteers introduce healthier approaches on a weekly basis, with recipes available to download from the M&S website.
According to The FA's Social Return on Investment Report 2024, grassroots football is worth £15.9bn to society each year, including £3.2bn in healthcare savings. Football-playing children are responsible for 200,000 fewer cases of obesity and 60,000 fewer cases of anxiety and depression, delivering an estimated £110m in savings for the NHS, underlining why M&S Food believes better nutrition support at grassroots level matters.
The Eat Well, Play Well: Grassroots Edition campaign will continue to roll out in partnership with grassroots clubs over the coming months, with a content series showcasing stories from selected clubs across the UK to help parents and coaches make healthier choices. The series will be hosted weekly across M&S social channels, including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram and you can watch all episodes in the series here.
To find out more about the campaign, visit https://www.marksandspencer.com/food/content/eat-well-grassroots-edition
