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Jessica Fraser

Jessica Fraser

Over the past academic year, Jessica has been picking up valuable experience through her Brookes Applied placement as a Sports Nutritionist with the Oxford Brookes UCCE Cricket Team.

As Jessica comes to the end of her Applied Sport and Exercise Nutrition MSc and her time with the Oxford UCCE programme draws to an end, we caught up with her to find out more about her experience and what she learnt most.

Jessica with a placement team
Jessica, on placement as a Sports Nutrionist in a gym

What is your background in sport/physical activity and why are you interested in working in sport?

I have a background in sport and exercise, with focus to strength and resistance training in the gym, and football. I’m interested in working in sport as I can invest my time into something I’m passionate about. Sport provides enjoyment for players and entertainment for spectators which is what creates it’s competitive culture.

What previous experiences have you had working or participating in sport before your time with Brookes Sport?

Before Brookes I played football for a couple of years, however I hadn’t had the opportunity to work in sport. 

Please briefly explain your experience with Brookes Sport and how it will help with your future career aspirations

I think that the placement I did through Brookes Sport has helped me to refine my ambitions for the future. I worked alongside another sports nutritionist from my course, and although we were given guidance at the start, we were them left to make the nutrition side of the team our own. This was valuable as we achieved full hands-on experience of what working with a professional team could look like. 

What have you learnt and enjoyed most while supporting with the UCCE Team?

Part of the support we offered to the team was individual nutrition consultancy. Carrying out successful consultations and acting on these where necessary is a valuable skill to take with me in future careers. Creating menus and shopping lists and speaking to performance nutritionists for other professional teams gave me a good insight into competition days. The chance to learn a new sport was also valuable to expand my knowledge.  

What skills do you think are most important to have to excel in a Sports Nutrition role?

  • Reliability
  • Knowledgeable
  • Individuality
  • Consistency
  • Innovation
  • Confidence
  • Applicability 

Would you recommend your experience to other Oxford Brookes students looking to have a career in Sports Nutrition?

100%. This placement really helped me, with both experience for the future and with the course itself. If I didn’t take on this opportunity, I would have looked back and regretted it. 

Jessica looking out across a sports field.

Through Brookes Applied, we are keen to support our students to help them prepare for life beyond university. If exploring opportunities in your field interests you, please reach out to Richard, our Fitness and Wellness Services Manager, to arrange an informal interview (rormiston-rees@brookes.ac.uk) to find out more.