The Premier League has announced that it will once again allow players to take a drinks break during this weekend’s fixtures. Temperatures in the UK are set to exceed 30OC during the majority of the games, meaning the policy to allow for a break midway through each half is activated.
The break has been implemented to support player welfare and allow them to hydrate. However, the addition of a pre-planned, in-game break gives hydration and/or nutrition sponsors a platform for mass visibility. This provides an opportunity to highlight the credibility of the performance products these partners provide to an audience of millions, if not billions of people.
Performance teams
For performance teams, hydration will be the main focus of the drinks breaks. However, they will also take the opportunity to incorporate carbohydrates into the drinks, which will provide an energy boost to help maintain the player's output. The ability to get some fast-acting carbs into players during the second-half break could be particularly important as it will allow players to enter the last 20 minutes of the game without any energy concerns.
The other key element to help maintain performance will be providing players with electrolytes. Electrolytes, such as sodium and chloride are lost during sweating and need to be replaced in order to maintain high-performance levels.
Because of the importance of electrolytes to performance, at the elite level, sweat testing is now commonplace. This helps teams understand players' sweat rates and composition, which in turn helps to develop individualised drinks that contain the correct electrolyte balance.
Sponsors
Within professional sport, the addition of any pre-planned break in play will always offer commercial opportunities. In this case, it is likely to be nutrition and hydration partners that will benefit. Club commercial teams should be working in close consultation with their performance colleagues to ensure players are using branded bottles, no matter what the contents.
Sponsors could also take the opportunity to publicise their partnerships via activations focusing on the science behind individualised hydration strategies. Where conditions trigger drink breaks this will likely drive awareness and help heighten partner exposure around those games where the hydration/nutrition story is gaining media (and therefore fan) attention.
Fans
The addition of a drinks break in each half will be welcomed amongst the players and hydration/nutrition partners across the Premier League. For fans - look out for how the teams use the break. Are players given individualised bottles? Are they provided with two bottles? Often, one being water and another a carb and electrolyte mix. Do they also try and extend the break to allow player to rest and gain some recovery?
Most importantly however, how are the sponsors promoting their role in the performance of the club during this period of warm weather. Are they showcasing products? offering insights? or creating promotions that can help fans? As the weather is set to stay warm over the weekend, some expert hydration advice and product promotion couldn’t be more timely…
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