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About Graeme Close

Originally a Professional Rugby League player, Graeme Close is now a Professor in Human Physiology at Liverpool John Moores University where he combines his academic research with nutrition and physiology consultancy to some of the world’s leading sporting organisations.

As well as leading a Masters degree in Sport Nutrition, Graeme is currently the expert nutrition consultant to England Rugby, he is the lead nutritionist to Everton Football Club and works with some of the world’s leading golfers and Rugby League players. On top of this, and despite spending most of his professional career helping big people get bigger, he currently receives funding from Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (the owner of Manchester City FC) to help professional jockeys make-weight safely. It is this combination of academic theory and applied practice that has enabled Graeme to establish himself as a world-leading nutrition consultant and public speaker. Graeme is the only person in the UK who is an accredited sports nutritionist (rSEN), sports scientist (BASES) and strength and conditioning coach (UKSCA). He is the deputy chair of the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register and has recently received a prestigious fellowship from the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES).

Current roles

  • Professor in Applied Physiology and Sport Nutrition at Liverpool John Moores University
  • Expert Nutrition Consultant to England Rugby
  • Sports Nutrition Consultant for Everton Football Club
  • Editor of the Performance Nutrition section for Professional Strength and Conditioning (UKSCA)
  • External Examiner at Huddersfield University BSc Sport, Exercise and Nutrition
  • Member of the Executive Board at the British Society for Research on Ageing