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Interview: Inside the Wolves world of elite nutrition

Vitor Pereira and his players get all the adulation for doing the business on a match day, but without the hardworking people behind the scenes they would never be able to perform at the right level.

There are a number of people in a number of departments that make Wolves tick and one that is perhaps overlooked is the one that fuels the players to play Premier League football.

Head of performance nutrition Matt North is responsible for leading the club's strategy when it comes to what the players put in their bodies and they take a scientific and detailed approach to get the very best out of the group.

JJX Logistics, sponsors for the Express & Star Wolves pre-season coverage 2025 in Portugal and Spain

JJX Logistics, sponsors for the Express & Star Wolves pre-season coverage 2025 in Portugal and Spain

Hague Fasteners, sponsors for the Express & Star Wolves pre-season coverage 2025 in Portugal and Spain

Hague Fasteners, sponsors for the Express & Star Wolves pre-season coverage 2025 in Portugal and Spain

Matt's work is brought to life by head performance chef Melissa Forde, who leads a team of chefs that were named the team of the year at the staff awards.

The pair are key figures in a department that chases excellence, while using the best possible ingredients, and they both sat down with the Express & Star for a detailed interview on their roles.

"Eking out the small one per cent benefits," Matt said - that could be the difference between success and failure in the top flight.

That takes place throughout the season, but the demands are potentially even higher on pre-season when they come away with the team and are tasked with fuelling players - many of whom have different demands - every day.

Wolves' head of performance nutrition Matt North

Wolves' head of performance nutrition Matt North

"I do a lot of the logistics and alongside Matt, we look at what the player's structure for the week looks like, and then from there, work backwards into a menu," Melissa said.

"Matt will give direction as to what their macronutrient intake looks like over the course of the week, what do we need more of, where, and I then work that into a menu.

"Here (away on pre-season) it looks very different, I have a lot less administrative tasks to do when I'm away, which for me is great because I get to do a lot more cooking, that's where the heart and soul of my job is.

"That's why I really appreciate doing these trips and away games because it frees me to be able to actually get more involved in the food."

Wolves' head performance chef Melissa Forde

Wolves' head performance chef Melissa Forde

Pre-season is rewarding, but certainly a challenge. Matt is faced with a large group of players, many with different preferences, cultural and religious differences to take into account and also different needs when it comes to their body composition.

This year in Portugal and Spain, the team have to facilitate every individual - some who are nursing injuries - to ensure every player is performing at their maximum level.

And that is where his relationships with the players comes into play.

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