SOCCER - Exploring Sustainable Plant-Based Nutrition in Youth Soccer: Experiences and Perceptions of Players, Parents, and Professionals in Youth Soccer Academies 

The SOCCER project explores how sustainable diets are perceived, practiced, and potentially implemented in the structured environments of German youth soccer academies (Nachwuchsleistungszentren, NLZs). The project is grounded in the growing global discourse on environmentally responsible nutrition and its alignment with health and athletic performance, especially in adolescence—a critical developmental phase.

This study seeks to understand the cultural, social, and structural dynamics that influence dietary behaviors in elite youth football. It aims to elucidate the opportunities of and barriers to integrating plant-based diets in sports nutrition through the lived experiences and views of adolescent players, parents, coaches, nutritionists, and academy officials. The overarching goal is to generate context-specific insights that can support future interventions promoting sustainable eating practices in high-performance sports settings.

SOCCER adopts a mixed-methods design combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data collection includes semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, a quantitative questionnaire for adolescent players, and ethnographic observation in one academy. The study draws on the Socio-Ecological Model to capture multi-level influences on dietary behaviors—ranging from individual knowledge and peer dynamics to institutional structures and societal norms.

The study design allows for an in-depth exploration of how personal beliefs, social relationships, institutional routines, and broader cultural dynamics shape dietary practices in structured athletic environments. By combining multiple data sources and stakeholder insights, the study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable nutrition in elite youth sport.