Andy Devaney
If you’ve ever watched a young winger fade after 20 minutes like a cheap firework in the rain, you’ll understand why M&S is stepping into the grassroots game with a new national initiative: “Eat Well Play Well Grassroots Edition.” The idea is simple, the impact could be huge: help community clubs across the UK lift their nutrition offering, with some famous faces and practical support that goes beyond the usual “have you tried a carrot” sermon.
Backed by fresh M&S Food research, the campaign is aimed at a stubborn reality on touchlines up and down the country: many coaches want to help, but don’t always feel equipped to talk food and fuel. So M&S ambassadors including Jill Scott and Ian Wright will be travelling the UK, joined by M&S Innovation & Development Chef, Russell Goad, to meet clubs where they are and help them feed players in ways that actually work on a Tuesday night training session and a muddy Sunday morning.
Why M&S is focusing on grassroots nutrition now
According to a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 grassroots coaches and parents across the UK, nearly a third of coaches (31%) say they would welcome training to provide nutritional advice—yet only around one in seven (15%) feel comfortable offering guidance to parents or players when asked.
That confidence gap matters because performance is clearly on the line:
- Despite believing players would perform better if they fuelled properly, (33%) of coaches report that players often arrive under-fuelled.
- More than one in five (22%) also say grassroots players are sometimes limited by lack of energy.
- Parents see the link too, with one in four (25%) noticing changes in their child’s performance based on what they eat.
- But nearly one in ten (9%) lack confidence in what their child should eat before football and even turn to ChatGPT for nutrition advice (19%).
- Encouragingly, over a quarter of parents (28%) say they would be willing to make changes with support.
In other words: the appetite is there—pardon the pun—but the playbook isn’t always.
“Eat Well Play Well Grassroots Edition”: what clubs actually get
This isn’t M&S rocking up to tell volunteers they’ve been doing it all wrong. The promise is hands-on, practical solutions clubs can use daily and weekly—what to offer, how to do it at scale, and how to make it appealing to kids who treat green things like they’re suspicious.
The travelling team will help clubs:
- Improve matchday and training food options with realistic swaps
- Understand simple pre- and post-session fueling habits
- Build healthier routines without adding workload for volunteers
- Access support through chefs, recipe guidance, and nutrition analysis
And because budgets are budgets, there’s a very tangible element to the help as well—something Ian Wright highlights with the enthusiasm of a man who’s seen too many post-match tables dominated by beige.
Ian Wright on what changed his career — and why this matters
Former Arsenal and England star Ian Wright, one of the M&S ambassadors supporting the campaign, said:
“Until Arsene Wenger became Arsenal manager in 1996, I had no idea about food or how what I ate affected my performance. He changed everything for us, cutting down fried food and salt, getting us to eat more protein, and making us take vitamins. That’s why this M&S Food campaign is so important, because it’s supporting grassroots coaches and clubs to understand how they can help their players feel and play their best by eating the right stuff before and after training and games.
“Going with M&S Chef Russell to meet coaches, parents, players and club chefs has been so good – and we found out exactly what they needed to know about healthy eating. This isn’t about just telling people to eat more vegetables or anything like that, it’s about practical help, like giving out M&S vouchers so the club can provide healthy snacks for players, and sharing healthy recipes that are easy to make for lots of people and that kids will actually eat.
“Football and nutrition have come a long way since I was playing, and I’m happy to be part of something that helps everyone in the grassroots game understand more about nutrition, and ultimately helps kids eat well and play well”.
You can almost hear Wenger nodding somewhere in North London.
The bigger picture: grassroots football’s value to society
There’s also a serious, numbers-backed reason M&S is putting weight behind this. According to The FA’s Social Return on Investment Report 2024 report, the grassroots game is worth £15.9bn to society each year. This includes £3.2bn total healthcare savings due to supporting the health and wellbeing of the nation. Football-playing children deliver £110m in health savings for the NHS from 200k fewer cases of obesity and 60k fewer cases of anxiety and depression.
So yes, this is about sharper passing and livelier legs. It’s also about building healthier habits early—where a club kitchen, a parent’s snack choice, and a coach’s confidence can ripple far beyond the final whistle.
M&S: “Healthy eating can be confusing — but it changes performance”
M&S Eat Well and M&S Senior Nutritionist, Sophia Thistlethwaite added: “We know that healthy eating can be confusing but it makes such a big difference to performance, whether you’re on the pitch or the playground. That’s why we’re working with grassroots clubs to help elevate their existing food offering and provide them with ongoing support including access to our M&S Development Chefs, nutrition analysis and guidance on recipes, online recipe hubs and donations towards their grassroots programme.”
That’s the key point: support, not scolding. And for clubs run by volunteers who already give up evenings and weekends, “support” is the only word that matters.
When the content drops and where to watch
The “Eat Well Play Well Grassroots Edition” campaign will roll-out across grassroots clubs over the coming months, with a brand new content series showcasing stories from selected grassroots clubs across the UK to help parents and coaches make healthier choices. The content series will be hosted across M&S social channels including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram with weekly episodes dropping from Sunday 25th January.
FAQ
What is M&S “Eat Well Play Well Grassroots Edition”?
A national initiative from M&S designed to help grassroots clubs improve nutrition offerings, with ambassador visits and practical support.
Who is involved?
M&S ambassadors including Jill Scott and Ian Wright, alongside M&S Innovation & Development Chef Russell Goad and wider M&S support.
Where will it appear online?
A weekly content series hosted across M&S social channels including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
When do episodes start?
Weekly episodes drop from Sunday 25th January.
