The football season is under way again and if you’re a fan, chances are you like a bit of a kickabout too.
Whether you play five-a-side, for an amateur team or professionally, it’s tiring running around the pitch for 90 minutes.
But one solution that claims to be the answer to fighting off fatigue on the field is energy gels and supplements.
High in carbohydrate so eliminating the need to eat anything stodgy before a big game, energy gels claim to improve performance and stamina.
And they’re not just meant for footballers – runners, cyclists and other sports players are meant to benefit from them too.
SIS and Aptonia are two of the leading brands in the UK, available in supermarkets and sports shops such as Sports Direct and Decathlon.
But do they really work? We put them to the test…
Returning to football
Our tester, 27-year-old Moray, has been playing football since he was 7 years old – and has been kicking a ball around the garden for even longer.
Moray plays for north-east team Kaimhill United AFC – and decided to try the energy gels to see if and how they’d impact his performance on the pitch.
Moray stopped playing football when he left school and returned to the sport in recent years.
He says: “After such a long break from football, I really wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to play as well as possible.
“I can’t eat anything close to playing a game as it makes me feel sluggish and weighed down.
“So I thought these might be a good alternative to give me the energy I need, without having to eat a big meal beforehand.”
Did they work?
Moray tried two different products: the SIS Go Isotonic Energy Gels and their Beta Fuel Energy Chews.
He used the energy chews before kick-off and the gels at half-time.
While they varied in flavour (tropical and pineapple the best; blackcurrant the worst), Moray found he had high energy levels while playing and only the occasional feeling of fatigue towards the end of the game.
And most importantly, he’s managed to last the full 90 minutes in all six games he’s played so far this season.
‘I never got cramp’
Moray says: “I do feel they worked – not so much in giving me an energy boost, but more in helping delay fatigue.
“When I was using them, I rarely felt the muscles in my legs going and never got cramp.
“I’m not sure if they are a placebo effect or not, but even if they are, I felt good so I’d say they still worked.
“Overall, the gels are my favourite, I’ll definitely keep using them.”
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