, as well as a variety of different teams, sportspeople and performers through his Intra Performance Group consultancy.
Though he had been used to speaking one-to-one with athletes for sometimes up to an hour, Collins quickly realised he needed to work more efficiently in a football environment. Conversations had to be condensed into shorter 15-30 minute sessions, and above all else, he needed to quickly demonstrate efficacy. “If you don’t get your ideas across quickly, especially within a football club, you’re dead in the water,” he says.
The other key relationship was with Wenger, who, fortunately for Collins, was interested in nutrition and wanted to embrace the science around it. “We had a protein station, a carbohydrate station, and there were graphics on the wall to help players make informed choices. You want them to be thinking, ‘OK, it’s a recovery day today, so what should I be eating to aid my recovery?’.
By this time, people were starting to become more aware of the importance of nutrition, because the sport’s physiological demands had changed. Wenger wrote an accompanying editorial, even though Collins had decided to leave Arsenal. After seven years at London Colney, he set up an independent consultancy, but his legacy at Arsenal remains — as well as his work with the first team, he installed nutrition support within the academy and the women’s team.
“And then, alongside that, you have the individual player work. How do you take your principles and apply them on an individual basis, factoring in a player’s likes, dislikes, cultural values, and individual goals? Those two trains are running in parallel.” “You know what does? Engaging them, spending time with them, helping them understand nutrition and how to take ownership to make the right choices in different scenarios.
“More and more individual players are coming to us as they want to explore their nutrition in more depth,” says Collins. “Sometimes, it’ll be to offer them some continuity and trusted support throughout their career, especially if they move clubs. The trend in football is for every player to take on a personal chef but Collins believes it’s not always necessary.
gunnerblog Interesting stuff, James - sad to see that Collins has fallen to working with Chelsea. Hope he gets his career back on track soon.