Table 8.

Themes and quotes extracted from individual interviews

	Themes identified	Noteworthy responses
Perception of a healthy diet	Balance, variety enhanced performance, recovery, mental health, well-being, and energy levels	‘Making sure you get enough protein, vegetables, fruits, vitamins, not too many processed foods or red meat. It’s important for quality of life, I feel more energetic when eat healthily and I can do more’.
		‘A balanced diet, hitting all the food groups but not eating one thing in excess. It helps with everyday life for work and sport, mentally and physically you can feel the benefits’.
Perception of an unhealthy diet	High sugary content, heavy processing, food groups in excess	‘Overindulgent, high sugar processed, too much food, high calorie foods, foods easy to snack on’
		‘Overeating or undereating, both can be unhealthy in different ways, consuming one food group too much like a certain carb, or binge eating on unhealthy foods high in sugar, saturated fat and processed foods’.
Influence of diet on performance	Energy to sustain exercise Aids recovery Enhanced athletic performance Improved mental focus	‘The times where I fuel accordingly, I can definitely see the peaks in my performance. If I get my nutrition right prior to training I can last the duration, whereas if I don’t, I really struggle’.
		‘If I eat the right amount of food, I feel like I have more energy, If I don’t eat properly, I feel light-headed, low in energy during a game, or it will impact my ability to train’.
Aspects of nutrition influencing performance	Carbohydrate intake Quality of meals Meal timing Volume of food Hydration	‘Release of energy, you don’t want to go half-way through a game to see that you have no energy left. Goal would be to maintain energy throughout; mainly from carbohydrate’.
		‘Carbs as the main source of energy – the right type of carbs too. Hydration so you can function properly. I don’t like to eat too much the morning of the game; I eat little before the game and slightly more for dinner the night before’.
Nutritional strategies	Supplements Pre-game/ Post-exercise meal Hydration Carb loading Protein intake	‘I try to come off caffeine a day or two before a game; it works better in terms of being stimulated for the game’.
		‘II will take beetroot juice an hour and a half before training for the greatest impact according to the advice’
		‘The night before a game, I make sure I have a decent meal with decent amounts of protein and carbs’
		‘I try to drink as much water as possible, I am not very good at it, but I try’
Impact of meal timing	Gastrointestinal discomfort Fatigue Prevention Aids Recovery	‘I eat a lot of food after training to refuel, before I try not to eat too much to avoid feeling sick’.
		I think it’s especially important before games and training. If I don’t eat enough or eat too much, I will struggle at training. Important to keep yourself fueled up throughout the day and after games too for recovery’
		‘Not too bothered about timing; I eat as I normally would; don’t change timing of meals even during a game unless I have to’
Determinants of dietary choices	Time, planning, preparation Work/family/university commitments Convenience, motivation, habits Preferences, cost, availability	‘Biggest thing that affects me is time, I am generally very busy which means I can be lazy with meal prep’
		‘Time management for meal prep, personal motivation, availability of correct foods and money in relation to supplements which can be expensive especially as I am a student’
		‘Convenience, if I am short on time due to work or a long week and I want something I can put in the oven’
Dietary goals	Increase muscle mass, strength, weight, protein Reduce fat, processed foods Healthy/balanced diet Not sure/None	‘Remain the same weight, cut body fat, build muscle, I try to reduce carbs and maintain fat intake’
		‘Making sure I have enough protein, not too many processed foods to keep muscle mass and lose a bit of fat’
		‘Maintain a well-balanced diet and stay away from snacking. I try to have three meals and Increase muscle mass’
		‘I don’t really have specific goals I generally just try and eat quite healthy’
Barriers to dietary goals	Meal planning, preparation, cooking, personal discipline, motivation, special dietary requirement, finances	‘Probably time and planning, so planning ahead in terms of when I am going to do a shop, its usually at the weekends so I need to plan ahead what I am going to eat for lunch, snacks and presession so that I can prepare them accordingly throughout the week’
		‘I have been doing alright actually from a nutrition perspective because I have more time to put into it and my evening are freed up to do some more cooking’.
		‘Having the motivation to cook for 45 minutes when life happens when I could easily just snack on a bowl of cereal’
		‘Money. My weight is 108 kg, so I need 2 grams of protein and that costs a lot of money’
Challenges of coronavirus	Maintaining body composition Training limitations Time/planning, food availability Easier/Not sure/None	‘I have been doing alright from a nutrition perspective because I have more time to put into it and my evenings are freed up to do some more cooking. Training has been more difficult because I don’t have the equipment’.
		‘I don’t really have goals as such around what I am trying to do, I am aware of what I’m eating but I wouldn’t say I am eating any better or worse than I was before’.
Impact of coronavirus	Reduced muscle mass, fitness, strength, motivation Minimal/Not sure/None	‘Muscle mass and body weight may drop due to less training; maintaining weight is quite tough. I try to do as much training as I can but as we cannot train with other players, I may not push myself as much and have less motivation’. ‘Corona virus will have a big impact on reconditioning side if it stays any longer. I may lose muscle mass and it may change my body composition’. ‘I don’t think it will have a huge impact because I am still training at a decent level and we would usually be having a bit of a rest at this time of year anyway’.