ABSTRACT
Although exact numbers are not available it is safe to assume that, when combined, women and youth football players outnumber male players. Yet, there is insufficient research on the nutritional needs of these two groups of athletes. Most information on energy demands, training and conditioning strategies, and dietary habits is extrapolated from the research on male footballers. The purpose of this article is to review what is known about the nutrition needs and dietary habits of women and youth football players and to identify what is not known to encourage research of these two populations to gain a more comprehensive picture of these footballers.
