Everton Football Club has become the first club in the Premier League to develop a range of bespoke sports nutrition products to enhance the team's fitness and conditioning.
The Blues have teamed up with innovative sports nutrition brand THE PROTEIN WORKS™ for the 2013/14 season. The company specialise in formulating and manufacturing high-performance sports nutrition supplements, using premium grade natural ingredients and the latest scientific research to create cutting-edge formulas to help athletes and teams to enhance their fitness levels.
Everton's Head of Sport Science and Conditioning Steve Tashjian and Professor Don MacLaren (Nutrition Advisor to EFC) has been working closely with experts at THE PROTEIN WORKS™ over the summer to develop cutting-edge recovery formulas, tailor-made exclusively to meet the needs of the first team.
"We are looking at every area of the Club to see how we can push the boundaries further than ever before. One of the areas that we thought we could gain a real competitive edge was in the player's fitness, conditioning and nutrition. With the new intensive training protocols we have put in place and the very latest in bespoke sports nutrition from THE PROTEIN WORKS™, we are confident that the players will be in the best possible shape once the new season starts," said Steve.
With the Club more commonly known as 'The School of Science', it is apt that Everton are the first in the Premier League to adopt the innovative recovery products. THE PROTEIN WORKS™ products are already being implemented into the team's pre-season intensive training programme and the initial results are very impressive.
"Footballers train harder and longer than ever before, and the conditioning that they undergo at Finch Farm is pretty intense. Sports nutrition plays a key role in the recovery process so we have to ensure the highest quality custom-made supplements are available to work hand in hand with our own very specific conditioning programmes," said Steve.
"THE PROTEIN WORKS™ are at the forefront of innovation right now in sports nutrition and are able to provide high quality products with bespoke formulations. What is even more important to us is that every product we have developed with the Protein Works is chemical free. They are totally "clean" products free from additives and preservatives. The collaborative approach has worked really well and we now have two unique recovery drinks - one for the nutrient window after training and one for the nutrient window following a match," he added.
Co-Founder of THE PROTEIN WORKS™ and Head of Research and Development Nick Smith, said: "The whole process has been very complex and technically demanding, but credit must be given to Everton's conditioning team who have demanded excellence. The Club's motto Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, which means nothing but the best is good enough, was definitely at the forefront of their minds on this ground-breaking project. To help pioneer a 'first' in English football has been amazing."
Read more about this unique collaboration.