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Fuelling and Recovery Demands in Professional Senior Soccer Players

Doctoral Training Grant Funding Information

This funding model includes a 36-month funded PhD Studentship, set in-line with the Research Council values. For 2025/6, this will be £20,780 per year. The tax-free stipend will be paid monthly. This PhD Studentship also includes a Full-Time Home Fee Scholarship for up to 3 years. The funding is subject to your continued registration on the research degree, making satisfactory progression within your PhD, as well as attendance on and successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice.

International applicants are reminded that it if they are successful following interview, they are liable to pay the fee difference between the Home and International Tuition Fee Rate. The tuition fees for new doctoral researchers are listed here. 

All applicants would receive the same stipend irrespective of fee status.  

Application Closing Date:
Midday (UK Time) on Wednesday 16th April 2025 for a start date of 1st September 2025.

How to Apply

To apply, please follow the below steps:

  1. Complete the BCU Online Application Form here: Health - PhD - 2025/26 Entry | Birmingham City University
  2. Complete the Doctoral Studentship Proposal Form in full, ensuring that you quote the project ID. You will be required to upload your proposal in place of a personal statement on the BCU online application form.
  3. Upload two references to your online application form (at least one of which must be an academic reference).
  4. Upload your qualification(s) for entry onto the research degree programme. This will be Bachelor/Master’s certificate(s) and transcript(s).
  5. International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification. Please see the list of English language qualifications accepted here. Please check the individual research degree course page for the required scores.

If your question is not answered above and you need any further information, please use the contact details below:

- For enquiries about the project content, please contact: Dr Jennie Carter: jennie.carter@bcu.ac.uk

- For enquiries about the application procedure, please contact: research.admissions@bcu.ac.uk

Project Title: Fuelling and Recovery Demands in Professional Senior Soccer Players

Project Lead: Dr Jennie Carter 

Project ID: HELS-33567331

Project description:

It is well-documented that professional soccer players do not adopt adequate nutrition practices to sufficiently fuel for, or recover from, the demands of match-play. The nature of this PhD project will investigate the energy and recovery demands, and dietary practices of professional senior soccer players around a match in a real-world setting. This will involve subsequently developing applicable practices achievable in a professional football environment. We welcome applications related to nutritional factors influencing match fuelling and recovery in professional soccer players.

Anticipated findings and contribution to knowledge

Ultimately, these findings will enable the assessment of successful implementation of evidence-based strategies to enhance professional soccer players dietary practices, and therefore health and performance. There is currently a large gap in the literature on this topic, and the outcomes of this research will have significant impact in the field, including the literature base, and applied practice.

Person Specification

  • A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline such as nutrition, dietetics, sports science, or a related field.
  • A post-graduate qualification in Sports Nutrition, or related field
  • A passion for nutrition and sport
  • Competence in data analysis and software (e.g. SPSS)
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Previous experience within the applied field of sports nutrition/sports science
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • Strong organisation and time-management skills
  • International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification, such as International English Language Test System (IELTS) or equivalent with an overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0.