About FYA
Fueling Youth Athletes — One Simple Habit at a Time
Fueling Youth Athletes (FYA) was created to solve a problem we see every single week — on sidelines, in clubrooms, classrooms, and at kitchen tables.
Young athletes don’t struggle because they lack talent.
They struggle because they run out of energy.
Late in games.
Across tournament weekends.
During heavy training blocks.
Over long seasons.
We’re parents, educators, coaches, and lifelong sport people who work with young athletes every day. We’ve seen how inconsistent fueling shows up as fatigue, loss of focus, poor recovery, frustration — and kids questioning whether they even enjoy sport anymore.
At FYA, we believe talent doesn’t disappear late in games.
Energy does.
That belief sits behind everything we do.
Fueling More Than the Body
People often say to us:
“Oh — you’re just a nutrition company, right?”
And fair enough. With a name like Fueling Youth Athletes, food is usually the first thing people think of.
But here’s the truth:
FYA has never been just about food.
Yes, nutrition matters — the smoothies, snacks, and late dinners after training.
But after years in youth sport, we’ve learned something just as important:
Young athletes don’t only run out of energy when their diet is lacking —
they struggle when they’re missing understanding.
Understanding of:
- mindset
- training load
- recovery
- habits
- confidence
- pressure
- identity
- and how sport fits into life
That’s why at FYA we talk about two kinds of fuel:
- Nutrition — what fuels the body
- Information — what fuels the mind
One without the other is a dead end.
Why We Started With a Bottle
We never set out to create supplements.
Our vision has always been real food for real kids — things like protein pancakes, gummies, and whole-food shakes that support growing bodies without hype, shortcuts, or fear-based messaging.
Before building products or programs, we asked a simple question:
What’s the easiest habit we can help families get right — consistently?
The answer was hydration and on-the-go fueling.
The FYA Dual-Fuel Bottle was designed to remove guesswork on training nights and game days by combining:
- an insulated water bottle for hydration
- a built-in fuel compartment for simple carbs or snacks
One bottle. Two jobs. One routine.
It’s not about perfection.
It’s about helping athletes fuel enough, often enough, and at the right times.
Built by People in Youth Sport — For Youth Sport
FYA was founded by Billinda Connolly-Tevendale and Ben McFarlane — both deeply involved in youth sport through education, coaching, and community leadership.
We work alongside:
- schools and teachers
- club and academy coaches
- parents navigating busy training schedules
- youth athletes balancing sport, school, and growth
We don’t chase trends.
We don’t overcomplicate fueling.
And we don’t build products unless they genuinely make life easier for families.
Where We’re Headed
The bottle is just the beginning.
FYA is the home of:
- Friday Fuel — our weekly newsletter for parents and athletes
- The FYA Podcast (formerly The Game Changer Podcast) — conversations with athletes, coaches, and experts
- Live Fan Q&As — free, moderated sessions connecting young athletes with professionals
- Athlete learning sheets — simple, practical tools kids can actually use
As we grow, everything we build will stay grounded in the same principle:
Fuel should support development — not overwhelm it.
Body.
Mind.
Heart.
That’s Fueling Youth Athletes.
