There is no meal that will make you play better at a trial. What an evening meal can do is make sure you turn up feeling normal rather than hungry, heavy or unsettled. That is the whole job, and it is easier than the internet makes it sound.
Key takeaways
Eat a normal, familiar meal that you have had many times before. Eat enough. Nerves often lead players to eat far less than usual. Avoid new foods, new restaurants and anything unusually rich the night before. No food guarantees trial performance, and no food ruins it either. Sleep and calm are worth more than any menu choice.
Keep it boringly familiar
The night before a trial is the worst possible time to try a new takeaway, a new supplement or a diet you read about that week. Unfamiliar food is the main cause of an unsettled stomach on trial morning, and it is entirely avoidable.
Pick something you eat often and enjoy. Pasta with a sauce, chicken and rice, a curry you have had many times, a jacket potato, fish and potatoes, or a stir fry are all fine. There is no special trial food. The NHS Eatwell Guide is a reasonable reference for a balanced plate.
Eat enough, and eat calmly
Nerves cut appetite. A lot of players eat noticeably less the night before a trial and then feel empty and lightheaded the next morning. If a full plate feels too much, eat a smaller main meal and add something easy afterwards, such as toast, yoghurt, cereal or fruit.
The opposite also happens. Some players carb load in a panic and eat far more than usual, which tends to mean a poor night's sleep and a heavy morning. Aim for a normal sized meal at a normal time.
Drinks in the evening
Have your usual drinks with the meal and keep sipping water through the evening. There is no benefit to drinking a very large amount the night before, and it usually just interrupts sleep. Caffeine and energy drinks are a bad idea generally and particularly for under 18s.
If it is going to be hot, the day itself matters more than the night before, and our match day hydration guide covers that. The broader picture is in our hydration guide for footballers.
Sleep is the bigger lever
Most players would gain more from a decent night's sleep than from any change to their dinner. Nerves make that hard, so keep the evening low key, get your kit packed early so there is nothing to worry about in the morning, and wind down away from screens.
Even if you sleep badly, do not panic. One poor night is not the end of a trial. Our guide on how much sleep footballers need has practical routines that help.
Plan the morning the night before
Trials are often early. Decide what breakfast will be and make sure it is in the house, so the morning is not a scramble. Our guide on what to eat for breakfast before a match covers early kick offs, and if there are long gaps at the trial, take familiar snacks with you as covered in our halftime snacks guide.
Allergies, conditions and eating worries
Check ingredients carefully if you have a food allergy, especially if eating out or travelling, and carry prescribed emergency medication. If you have diabetes, follow the plan agreed with your diabetes team, since a trial day is a change in routine and activity.
For players under 18, a parent or guardian should be involved in planning the evening and the morning. If nerves around trials are leading to skipping meals, feeling sick, or ongoing worry about food and body weight, that deserves a conversation with a GP rather than a nutrition tweak. Registered dietitians are the right professionals for individual plans, and we do not give gram, calorie or fluid targets here.
Sources and further reading
- NHS: The Eatwell Guide
- NHS: Healthy eating for teens
- NHS: How to get to sleep
- NHS: Food allergy
- NHS: Eating disorders
This article is general information for players and parents. It is not medical or individual dietary advice. Speak to a GP or a registered dietitian if you have any concerns.
Turn up with more than your boots
Coaches at trials remember players they can look up afterwards. Have your profile ready before you go: build a football CV and bring the link with you.