To kick off European Sustainable Development Week, AS Monaco is presenting its new organic vegetable garden intended to help the team boost performance through better eating whilst also encouraging local production and consumption.
AS Monaco has teamed up with urban agriculture specialists Terrae to create a vegetable patch at the team’s new performance centre to provide players with fresh, healthy produce throughout the year.
Introduced during European Sustainable Development Week, which runs from 20th to 26th September, the garden, that has been conveniently positioned near the performance centre’s cafeteria, has started growing a vast array of herbs, fruit and veg for the team’s consumption.
The company who set up the plot, Terrae, have already created more than 1,600m2 worth of urban gardens in the Principality and its latest has incorporated ecological farming techniques that make the best use of water and soil to yield the best possible crops.
The Red and White’s resident nutritionist then uses the home-grown goods to feed the players delicious and healthy meals. This in turn is meant to boost performance levels, allowing them to be at the top of their games throughout the season.
“It’s important to be able to grow our products, with a traced provenance,”
explains Juan José Morillas, the team’s nutritionist. “Seasonal products with useful
properties for our players’ diet. Located in full view of everyone, the vegetable
garden has educational value because the players, who are increasingly
interested in nutrition, regularly ask me questions.”
“This garden was really designed for the players,” Jessica Sbarraglia, founder of Terrae, went on to say. “We thought with Juan about the products we planted. The aim
is to find a harmony, that the garden is efficient in terms of permaculture but also
useful for the players. It has many advantages, especially the short circuit. It’s a
virtuous circle that makes sense in terms of ecological values.”
The club also plan to use the garden to set up workshops to convey positive messages to younger players and to teach them about good nutrition and the importance of sustainability.