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Fuelling Performance: Inside the NSWIS Water Polo Breakfast Club

Monday mornings at the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) mean one thing – Water Polo Breakfast Club.

Each week, after a recovery session following a big weekend of competition, athletes come together to refuel, boost performance, and strengthen team connections. But the initiative goes beyond just a meal – it plays a key role in educating players on nutrition and how to effectively fuel for their sport.

Launched two years ago, the Breakfast Club is conceptualised and curated weekly by NSWIS Sport Nutritionist, Holly Edstein.

“The water polo group are currently in their main season – the Australian Water Polo League season – they’ve got games every weekend and have a heavy training load,” she explained.

“They come [into NSWIS HQ] on Monday mornings for recovery – working with their strength and conditioning coach, physio, doing ice bath’s, etc.”

“The Breakfast Club was born off the back of [their recovery], to emphasise the importance of nutrition within recovery from the weekend, and to prepare them for the next week.”

Each week, Edstein curates a new breakfast menu, providing high performance foods.

“Each week, I am trying to mix up different breakfast menu items to show the different array of foods they can have,” she explained.

Previous meals have included pancakes, ricotta, overnight oats, bacon, eggs, and halloumi, and baked beans.

This week, breakfast burritos were on the menu – a nutritious yet cost effective meal. Players had a variety of fillings to choose from, including:

Eggs.
Bacon.
Seasoned Beans.
Seasoned onions and capsicum.
Spinach.
Cherry tomatoes.
Cheese.

Toppings included coriander, guacamole, salsa, jalapenos, and Greek yoghurt, with watermelon cubes and orange juice on the side for a refreshing finish.

Alongside breakfast, athletes engaged in an education session led by Edstein.

This week’s focus? Performance eating on a budget – how to fuel effectively while saving money.

Athletes learned practical tips, including:

Buying in bulk to reduce costs.
Opting for home-brand products where possible, which often have the same nutritional profile as name brands.
Taking advantage of supermarket specials and discounts.

Edstein also addressed a common misconception about frozen produce, explaining that frozen fruits and vegetables can be more nutrient-dense than fresh produce, since they are frozen at peak ripeness. This minimises nutrient loss while also reducing food waste.

To apply their new knowledge, she organised an interactive activity where athletes worked in teams to curate a budget-friendly meal using a supermarket app.

The challenge? To balance carbohydrates, proteins, and fats effectively while staying within a good budget.

At the end of the session, each athlete received a handout detailing nutritious food options and portioning strategies, equipping them with practical tools to implement their learnings beyond training.

Since its launch, Edstein has observed a noticeable increase in nutrition literacy among athletes.

“Engagement with nutrition [has grown] – [athletes] looking at how they’re eating, and eating with intent has increased,” she noted.

“Questions are certainly firing away now which is great – it’s sparking curiosity.”

The impact has extended beyond the athletes, as NSWIS coaches and staff have also gained valuable insights from attending Edstein’s sessions.

If there’s one big piece of nutrition advice Edstein hopes every athlete takes away, it’s to appreciate the role nutrition plays in both health and performance, and to stay curious by asking questions so they can be discussed at the Club.

From high performance fuelling to practical nutrition education and team bonding, the most common reaction to it among the squad is that the NSWIS Water Polo Breakfast Club is more than just a meal – it’s a game-changer.