mission

The Professional Football Registered Dietitian Society’s mission is to prioritize player welfare by providing evidence-based nutrition practices for high-level performance, while leading the sports nutrition field with sound and innovative methods. Working as a collaborative unit with the sports medicine & performance disciplines for education and research, we are in alliance with the National Football League (NFL) to practice ethical decision-making, with integrity and respect for all members within the NFL and surrounding community.

Vision 

  • To support and elevate player welfare through performance nutrition departments and programs led by NFL sports dietitians at every club.
  • To operate as a distinct autonomous group that advocates for and represents player health and welfare in League and union protocols, hiring practices, and the creation of new dietetic/nutrition positions across teams.
  • To provide a platform for membership for NFL Sports RDs, where members can collaborate to advance the profession and mission within the NFL.

About PFRDS

The Professional Football Registered Dietitian Society encompasses a peer-elected organization that seeks to advance the professional goals and unique skill development of the NFL RD, ultimately promoting the health, safety and performance of the NFL Player.  The NFL RD works within their respective club, and within the rules and regulations set out by the NFL itself as well as the NFLPA (players union).  The PFRDS is an official subgroup of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA) and is positioned within the League to engage in advocacy and education at the League level.      
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PFRDS
Qualification

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    Each PFRDS member maintains the required RD (also notated “RDN”, Registered Dietitian /Nutritionist) credential, status, and privilege to practice as a Registered Dietitian through the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency for  the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  Registered Dietitians are additionally required to obtain licensure through their respective states to practice as licensed healthcare professionals (with the exception of Arizona, Colorado, California, Michigan, and Virginia).  Many PFRDS members additionally obtain an advanced Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) credential, earned through passing the CSSD board exam, which requires recertification every 5 years.



    Qualification Requirements

PFRDS
Leadership

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    The PFRDS Leadership Team are volunteers that are voted on by the membership. The leadership works to create a voice within the National Football League by building relationships and creating strategic planning initiatives to support our members and PFRDS' mission and vision.



    The Leadership Team

PFRDS
Growth & History

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From 2004 to present, the NFL has integrated full time Registered Dietitians (RDs) within clubs across the league. Currently, the NFL employs 34 full time RDs as directors or assistants as well as 4 part-time consulting RDs. With the objective of optimizing player health and performance, the team sports RD oversees all nutrition interventions for the club, collaborates with team foodservice, and delivers all player education related to nutrition.  The growth of dietetic practice within the League has fostered the opportunity for NFL RDs to form a professional practice group, the Professional Football Registered Dietitians Society, PFRDS.

PFRDS Members at Work

The nutritional needs of an NFL athlete are elevated due to the physical demands placed on them, as their workload includes high levels of explosive energy systems plus physical contact. 
NFL athletes must consume adequate energy correlating with high intensity practices and games to maintain body weight and health while augmenting training effects, otherwise, the consequence of insufficient nutrition and fluid intake may result in loss of muscle mass; loss of or failure to gain bone density; fatigue, injury, and illness; as well as prolonged recovery processes.  

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    The NFL Sports RD manages and implements:
  • Nutrient recommendations that are highly individualized and are based on total energy expenditure, intensity, and environmental conditions.
  • Body weight and body composition are monitored utilizing evidence-based practices. 
  • Hydration strategies based on an individual's sweat rate and the replenishment of sodium and electrolytes.
  • Post practice or training, recovery and replenishment of energy,  and fluids as well as protein is crucial to properly initiating the rebuilding process in the tissues.
  • NFL Athletes require ongoing counseling and education from the NFL sports RD covering fueling, recovery, medical nutrition therapy, hydration, and supplements. 

Annual PFRDS Meeting

February 28, 2023 
Indianapolis Downtown Marriott
FULL-TIME NFL SPORTS RDS

Videos / Articles

Team

RD

Videos / Articles

Baltimore Ravens
Sarah Snyder
Video 1
Video 2
Dallas Cowboys
Scott Sehnert
Video 1
Denver Broncos
Bryan Snyder
Article
Jacksonville Jaguars
Mindy Black
Article 
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Los Angeles Rams
Joey Blake
Video 1
Video 2
New England Patriots
Ted Harper
Video 1
New Orleans Saints
Jamie Meeks
Video 1
References:

 Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: March 2009 –Volume 41 - Issue 3 - p 709-731 doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31890eb86
Contact:

[email protected] | [email protected]

(812) 369-4393

P.O. Box 5043, Bloomington, IN 47407

CPSDA does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.

© 2023 Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association. All right reserved