On Thursday, October 18, the Ágora Vallejo at the headquarters of the Valencian Community Football Federation became the setting for a round table titled “Hydration break: Science and experience to hydrate better in football and futsal.” The session, organized jointly by the FFCV and the mineral water brand San Benedetto, brought together experts in sports medicine, nutrition and former goalkeeper from Valencia CF, Villarreal CF and Sevilla FC, Andrés Palop, who currently directs the Valencian women's soccer team.
Among those attending were the president of the FFCV, Salva Gomar, the general director of San Benedetto, Riccardo Cianfanelli, and representatives of the federation's sponsors, as well as students of the UEFA B coaching course. The objective of the meeting was to delve into hydration practices in modern football, highlighting the evolution of drinking breaks and their impact on player performance.
Dr. Antonio Escribano, a specialist in endocrinology, nutrition and sports medicine with 47 years of experience, opened the discussion by explaining how in past times hydration was not a priority. "For a long time the break did not exist. Friends like Vicente Miera told me that in the past they did not let the players drink, not even in training. They thought that performance improved without drinking water," he said. Escribano recalled that at Sevilla FC, bags with cold water were introduced in the corners so that the players could drink during practice, a practice that is considered essential today.
Palop, who shared his experience as a player at Sevilla under the supervision of Escribano, emphasized the importance of the “hydration break” as a tool that allows the coach to manage the pace of the game without the players losing playing time. "When I arrived at Seville with Dr. Escribano, what we knew about hydration and, above all, nutrition increased a lot. Many of the results we achieved were, in large part, thanks to the doctor, because he instilled in us a way of understanding hydration and nutrition that was totally different and unknown to us," he explained.
The doctor added a personal anecdote about how he used to prepare hydration “porridges” before games, during the break and at the end of matches. "I miss them, to be honest. The doctor organized it for us and we didn't worry about everything. The team won titles," said Palop, while Escribano concluded with the phrase: "We were the best team in the world for three years."
The roundtable concluded with the idea that hydration is no longer a luxury but a sporting necessity, and that collaboration between health professionals and coaches can translate into concrete results on the field. The participants agreed to continue researching and disseminating good practices so that the rest of the Valencian football community can benefit from the lessons learned at Sevilla and the FFCV.