Emily England (MS, RD, LDN) gets to campus at 5 a.m., before most football coaches arrive, to oversee breakfast for the 116 players on the roster. She leaves around 9:15 p.m., having just distributed late-night snacks before those same players head home. Emily works every practice, walkthrough, and game, ensuring players are hydrated and have the nutrients they need to perform at their peak. UH players say she is vital to their success, while Willie Fritz says she does her job like a coach.
England is the Director of Performance Nutrition for UH Athletics but focuses much of her time on Cougar Football. During Fall Camp, players see more of England than any other staffer. A registered dietician by training, she implements a training table to help players perform on the practice field and in the weight room and then to fuel them in their recovery.
That means knowing the needs of every player: Do they struggle to stay hydrated? Are they trying to add weight? Do they lose too much weight practicing in the Houston humidity? Do they need to be more consistent with their nutrition? Does a player skip meals, which can impact brain and nervous system function, leading to depression? England speaks to the team several times a day during Camp, with disciplined messages about taking care of themselves. Her real work, though, involves one-on-one interactions, where she can get to know players and educate them.
On the first day of Camp, some players struggled with a 2+ hour practice outdoors, and England addressed the team after practice. She told them that if the nutritional choices they made before practice didn’t work for them, they should come and talk to her, and together, they’ll find a better solution. Maybe their breakfast was unsuitable for them, or they needed more fluids. After Monday’s practice, she told the team, “The choices you make today affect your performance tomorrow.”
“If you’re not eating enough, if you’re not rehydrating enough, or recovering your body from a tough practice, that’s going to affect you tomorrow,” she said in a GoCoogs Interview. “Even just doing the little things consistently can help you, as a player, perform better on the next practice day.”
Like Fritz, she preaches consistency, telling players nutritional consistency is how they will separate themselves on the field. England works to be an example of consistency and is always available for team members.
“She’s up here as much as the coaches are,” Willy Fritz says. “She knows her stuff, and she’s always available. I’ve been very, very, very impressed with her.”
After the players get their grab-and-go breakfast, England ensures the hydration stations for practice are ready to go, and then she heads out there before the players show up. She and her staff are prepared to assist with water, sports drinks, or small snacks through the 2.5 hour practices. They set up cooling stations for post-practice so players can lower their body temperature before getting a light post-practice snack from the recovery table. Players say their favorites are Italian ice, slushies, hydration popsicles, and pickle shots.
After a shower, one side of the ball heads to lunch while the other has a short lifting session with Director of Strength & Performance Kurt Hester. Then they switch. An afternoon snack during position and special teams meetings holds the players over until an early dinner before teamwide meetings. After their meetings, the nutrition staff provides a snack for the players as they leave the facility.
England’s dedication has not gone unnoticed by the players. Receiver Joseph Manjack believes she is essential. “If there’s only one person on this staff that takes their job seriously every single day, it’s Mrs. Emily. Legit,” Manjack said. “She’s on it every single day.”
“She’s the greatest,” tight end Jayden York said. “Without her, everybody would be laid out on the field. There would be no team without Emily.”
Despite constantly being around the players, administrative work is half the job. According to England, she spends about 50% of her time planning, dealing with logistics, ordering meals, attending coaching staff meetings, and working with Chartwells, the UH catering partner.
Like strength and conditioning, sports medicine, academics, and other departments, nutrition is a cog in molding the entire student-athlete. Despite working 16 hours daily, Emily finds joy in the small things.
“For me, it’s when the guys pick up on little things, or they start to buy in,” England said with a smile. “Or they start to make small changes. The little things that don’t seem like much can really make a big impact.
“That, for me, is a win. You’re listening to me, and I’m listening to you, and we’re talking through these little things that can make all the difference. And once the guys are bought into that, it’s huge.”
On the Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center
Our full conversation with Emily England is coming next week.
