Physiological Characteristics of Female Soccer Players and Health and Performance Considerations: A Narrative Review

Female soccer has seen a substantial rise in participation, as well as increased financial support from governing bodies over the last decade. Thus, there is an onus on researchers and medical departments to develop a better understanding of the physical characteristics and demands, and the health a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sports medicine (Auckland) 2021-07, Vol.51 (7), p.1377-1399
Main Authors: Randell, Rebecca K., Clifford, Thomas, Drust, Barry, Moss, Samantha L., Unnithan, Viswanath B., De Ste Croix, Mark B. A., Datson, Naomi, Martin, Daniel, Mayho, Hannah, Carter, James M., Rollo, Ian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body composition
Energy intake
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Menstrual cycle
Metabolism
Nutrition
Physical characteristics
Physiology
Professional football
Review
Review Article
Soccer
Sports injuries
Sports Medicine
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Summary:Female soccer has seen a substantial rise in participation, as well as increased financial support from governing bodies over the last decade. Thus, there is an onus on researchers and medical departments to develop a better understanding of the physical characteristics and demands, and the health and performance needs of female soccer players. In this review, we discuss the current research, as well as the knowledge gaps, of six major topics: physical demands, talent identification, body composition, injury risk and prevention, health and nutrition. Data on female talent identification are scarce, and future studies need to elucidate the influence of relative age and maturation selection across age groups. Regarding the physical demands, more research is needed on the pattern of high-intensity sprinting during matches and the contribution of soccer-specific movements. Injuries are not uncommon in female soccer players, but targeting intrinsically modifiable factors with injury prevention programmes can reduce injury rates. The anthropometric and physical characteristics of female players are heterogeneous and setting specific targets should be discouraged in youth and sub-elite players. Menstrual cycle phase may influence performance and injury risk; however, there are few studies in soccer players. Nutrition plays a critical role in health and performance and ensuring adequate energy intake remains a priority. Despite recent progress, there is considerably less research in female than male soccer players. Many gaps in our understanding of how best to develop and manage the health and performance of female soccer players remain.
ISSN:0112-1642
1179-2035
DOI:10.1007/s40279-021-01458-1