Question from Martin Pulford "My initial interest and first question is about fluid intake.How much or what is considered to be the correct amount of fluid to be consumed before,during and after a match/training session,and what is considered to be the most appropriate drink.You see many of the pros with Lucozade,and powerades prior to games.Any ideas?"

Thanks for taking the time to ask the question regarding fluid intake.

As I’m sure we’re all aware fluid intake is vitally important to ensuring performance is adequately maintained during matches.  This especially applies to children who are more susceptible to dehydration when compared to adults.  When we do become dehydrated our brains do not work as smartly, which stops us concentrating, which allows the forward who, for the majority of the time we’ve been marking out of the game, to drift away from us in the last 5 minutes to score the winner!

In terms of how much children should drink to remain hydrated the best rule of thumb is to divide their drink into manageable amounts, before, during and after games.

Before a game aim to drink 150-250ml of fluid (250ml is just under ½ pint).  During exercise, or at half time, you should aim to drink 75-100ml (roughly ¼ pint).  After exercise aim to drink freely until the child is no longer thirsty.  These are all approximate amounts.  You will need to take into account weather conditions which may call for increased amounts of fluid to be taken on board.

In terms of what to drink I’ve read lots of different material on this subject and the overwhelming answer seems to be that you can’t beat good old plain water.  This especially applies to activities lasting less than 90 mins.  The problem with water however is that it’s a bit boring and some kids won’t drink it – which defeats the object somewhat!  I would encourage water wherever possible (healthy teeth etc..) but if this isn’t an option you could provide a flavoured drink such as sugar free squash or ordinary diluted squash, although some of these can be weighed down with additives etc..

With regards to Isotonic drinks my honest belief, especially for children, is that they are over the top.  Although they are a fluid and tend to taste nicer, therefore if your child only wants to drink isotonic drinks maybe you could alternate with water also.  Another more healthy and probably cheaper option than Isotonic Drinks is diluted fruit juice (2 parts water 1 part juice). 

The most important thing is that children drink enough.  If they don’t like the drink they won’t drink it, so you need to be prepared to experiment.

As a rule children should be drinking 6-8 cups (1-1 ½ litres) of fluid per day.  We all know the benefits that a hydrated body brings – not just in sport but in school also.  Therefore we should all be encouraging our children to get into the habit of drinking regularly.

Hope this helps.  If you need any further information please let me know.