Characteristics of physical performance in professional female soccer athletes during a national competition
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objectives: Identify the descriptive characteristics of physical performance in different positions, compare physical performance between the first and second half of the match, and determine the association between physical performance variables in professional female soccer athletes during a national competition. Method: Fourteen professional women's soccer players participated in the study. Data from fifteen matches of the A1 division of the 2023 Brazilian Championship were collected using GPS devices. Athletes who participated in at least one complete match during the championship's classificatory phase were included. Results: The forwards and midfielders have covered greater distances at high and low intensity and maintained a higher average speed than the other positions. However, all positions have reached similar maximum speed values (25.9 ± 1.9 km/h). Significant differences were found between the first and second halves favourable to the first half for total distance (Δ = -9.7%; p = .002), distance per minute (Δ = -7.8%; p = .010), and sprint distance (Δ = -11.4%; p = .000), but not for maximum speed (Δ = -0.4%; p = .728). Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated associations between physical performance variables ranging from 0.567 to 0.850. Conclusions: Based on a descriptive analysis, it is suggested that different positions of professional female soccer athletes presented different physical demands during the competition. Lower performance was observed in the second half compared to the first for total distance, distance per minute, and sprint distance, but not for maximum speed. Moderate to high associations were also observed between physical performance variables.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Each author warrants that his or her submission to the Work is original and that he or she has full power to enter into this agreement. Neither this Work nor a similar work has been published elsewhere in any language nor shall be submitted for publication elsewhere while under consideration by Journal of Human Sport and Exercise (JHSE). Each author also accepts that the JHSE will not be held legally responsible for any claims of compensation.
Authors wishing to include figures or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright holder(s) and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
Please include at the end of the acknowledgements a declaration that the experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed. The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the abovementioned requirements. The author(s) will be held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfill the above-mentioned requirements.
This title is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
-
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
-
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
-
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
- You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
- No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
How to Cite
Funding data
-
Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Grant numbers 260003/014681/2022 -
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Grant numbers 1704/2023
References
Andersson, A. H., Randers, M. B., Heiner-Møller, A., Krustrup, P., & Mohr, M. (2010). Elite female soccer players perform more high-intensity running when playing in international games compared with domestic league games. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(4), 912-919. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181d09f21
Augusto, D., Brito, J., Aquino, R., Figueiredo, P. Eiras, F., Tannure, M., Veiga, B., & Vasconcellos, F. (2021). Contextual variables affect running performance in professional soccer players: a brief report. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 3, 778813. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.778813
Baptista, I., Johansen, D., Figueiredo, P., Rebelo, P., & Pettersen, S. A. (2020). Positional differences in peak- and accumulated- training load relative to match load in elite football. Sports (Basel), 8(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/sports8010001
Bradley, P. S., Di Mascio, M., Peart, D., Olsen, P. & Sheldon, B. (2010). High-intensity activity profiles of elite soccer players at different performance levels. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(9), 2343-2351. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181aeb1b3
Carling, C., & Dupont, G. (2011). Are declines in physical performance associated with a reduction in skill-related performance during professional soccer match-play? Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(1), 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2010.521945
Casamichana, D., Castellano, J., Diaz, A. G., Gabbett, T. J., & Martin-Garcia., A. (2019). The most demanding passages of play in football competition: a comparison between halves. Biology of Sport, 36(3), 233-240. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2019.86005
Datson, N., Drust, B., Weston, M., Jarman, I. H., Lisboa, P. J., & Gregson, W. (2017). Match physical performance of elite female soccer players during international competition. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(9), 2379-2387. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001575
Dolci, F., Hart, N. H., Kilding, A. E., Chivers, P., Piggott, B., & Spiteri, T. (2020). Physical and energetic demand of soccer: a brief review. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 42(3): 70-77. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000533
Hewitt, A., Norton, K., & Lyons, K. (2014). Movement profiles of elite women soccer players during international matches and the effect of opposition's team ranking. Journal of Sports Sciences, 32(20), 1874-1880. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2014.898854
Kobal, R. Carvalho, L., Jacob, R., Rossetti, M., Oliveira, L. P., do Carmo, E. C., & Barroso, R. (2022). Comparison among U-17, U-20, and professional female soccer in the GPS profiles during Brazilian Championships. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), 16642. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416642
Lago-Peñas, C. (2012). The role of situational variables in analysing physical performance in soccer. Journal of Human Kinetics, 35, 89-95. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10078-012-0082-9
Lopes, A. C. V., Soares, A. L. C., Carvalho, R. F., Meirelles, C. M., & Gomes, P. S. C. (2023). Acute effect of a conditioning activity on vertical jump height in trained adult women: a systematic review with meta-analysis. International Journal of Sports and Physical Education, 9(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-6380.0903001
Mäkiniemi, J. K., Savolainen, E. H., Finni, T., & Ihalainen, J. K. (2023). Position specific physical demands in different phases of competitive matches in national level women's football. Biology of Sport, 40(3), 629-637. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.118337
Mohr, M., Krustrup, P., & Bangsbo, J. (2005). Fatigue in soccer: a brief review. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(6), 593-599. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410400021286
Mohr, M., Krustrup, P., Andersson, H., Kirkendal, D., & Bangsbo, J. (2008). Match activities of elite women soccer players at different performance levels. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(2), 341-349. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e318165fef6
Mukaka, M. M. (2012). A guide to appropriate use of correlation coefficient in medical research. Malawi Medical Journal, 24(3), 69-71.
Nobari, H., Oliveira, R., Brito, J. P., Pérez-Gómez, J., Clemente, F. M., & Ardigò, L. P. (2021). Comparison of running distance variables and body load in competitions based on their results: a full-season study of professional soccer players. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042077
Oliva-Lozano, J. M., Conte, D., Fortes, V. & Muyor, J. M. (2023). Exploring the use of player load in elite soccer players. Sports Health, 15(1), 61-66. https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381211065768
Oliveira Junior, M. N. S., Veneroso, C. E., Ramos, G. P., Johnson, K. E., Guilkey, J. P., Sena, A. F. C., Cabido, C. E. T., & Cholewa, J. M. (2021). Distance and intensity profiles in division I women's soccer matches across a competitive season. Sports (Basel), 9(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9050063
Panduro, J., Ermidis, G., Røddik, L., Vigh-Larsen, J. F., Madsen, E. E., Larsen, M. N., Pettersen, S. A., Krustrup, P., & Randers, M. B. (2022). Physical performance and loading for six playing positions in elite female football: full-game, end-game, and peak periods. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 32(S1), 115-126. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13877
Schulze, E., Julian, R., & Meyer, T. (2022). Exploring factors related to goal scoring opportunities in professional football. Science and Medicine in Football, 6(2), 181-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2021.1931421
Scott, M. T. U., Scott, T. J., & Kelly, V. G. (2016). The validity and reliability of global positioning systems in team sports: a brief review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(5), 1470-1490. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001221
Strauss, A., Sparks, M., & Pienaar, C., (2019). The use of GPS analysis to quantify the internal and external match demands of semi-elite level female soccer players during a tournament. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 18(1), 73-81.
Turner, A. N., & Stewart, P. F. (2014). Strength and conditioning for soccer players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 36(4), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000054
Vescovi, J. D. (2012). Sprint profile of professional female soccer players during competitive matches: female athletes in motion (FAiM) study. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(12), 1259-1265. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2012.701760