Elite women’s football: Evolution and challenges for the years ahead

Nassis, George P.; Brito, João; Heiner-Møller, Kenneth; Harder, Pernille; Kryger, Katrine Okholm; Krustrup, Peter

doi:10.1111/sms.14094

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The favorable effects of carbohydrate supplementation on energy metabolism and inflammatory responses were coupled by more favorable performance adaptations before and during G2 by not only mitigating the drop of the repeated sprint ability fatigue index during recovery but also by preserving running speed, intense accelerations/decelerations, and HR during G2. These findings add to the understanding of the demands of a 120-min football games and add novel information on consecutive 120-min game fixtures, which are likely to happen more frequently in future male and female elite football (1,52). Coaches should, during potential repeated game-play scenarios, consider the exaggerated fatigue response, physiological loading, and suspended muscle glycogen resynthesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Recovery during Successive 120-min Football Games: Results from the 120-min Placebo/Carbohydrate Randomized Controlled Trial

ERMIDIS,

MOHR,

JAMURTAS

et al. 2024

Medicine &Amp; Science in Sports &Amp; Exercise

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Purpose To examine the recovery kinetics (i.e. time-dependent changes) of performance-related variables between two 120-min male football games performed three days apart with and without carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation. Methods 20 male players (20 ± 1 years; body fat: 14.9 ± 5.1%; VO2max: 59.4 ± 3.7 mL•kg-1•min-1) participated in two 120-min football games (G1, G2) according to a randomized, two-trial, repeated measures, cross-over, double-blind design. Participants received carbohydrate/Placebo supplements during recovery between games. Field activity was monitored during the games. Performance testing and blood sampling were performed before, at 90- and 120-min of each game. Muscle biopsies were collected at baseline, 90- and 120-min of G1 and pre-G2. Results Compared to G1, G2 was associated with reduced total distance (10,870 vs. 10,685 m during 90-min and 3,327 vs. 3,089 m during extra 30-min; p = 0.007-0.038), average (6.7 vs. 6.2 m•s-1 during extra 30-min match-play; p = 0.007) and maximal speed (32.2 vs. 30.2 m•s-1 during 90-min and 29.0 vs. 27.9 m•s-1 during extra 30-min; p < 0.05), accelerations/decelerations (p < 0.05) and mean HR (p < 0.05). Repeated sprint ability (p < 0.001), jumping (p < 0.05) and strength (p < 0.001) performance were compromised before and during G2. Muscle glycogen was not restored at G2-baseline (p = 0.005). Extended game-play reduced lymphocyte, erythrocyte counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin, reduced glutathione (p < 0.05) and increased DOMS, creatine kinase activity, blood glycerol and ammonia (p < 0.05) and protein carbonyls (p < 0.05) before and during G2. Pax7+ (p = 0.004) and MyoD+ cells (p = 0.019) increased at baseline-G2. Carbohydrate supplementation restored performance and glycogen, reduced glycerol and DOMS responses, and increased leukocyte counts and Pax7+ and MyoD+ cells. Conclusions Results suggest that extended football games induce a prolonged recovery of performance which may be facilitated by carbohydrate supplementation during a congested game fixture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Recovery during Successive 120-min Football Games: Results from the 120-min Placebo/Carbohydrate Randomized Controlled Trial

ERMIDIS,

MOHR,

JAMURTAS

et al. 2024

Medicine &Amp; Science in Sports &Amp; Exercise

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“…Players in Australia had a similar perspective as our participants, claiming the need to reduce injury risk, enhance athletic performance and longevity by improving implementation of injury prevention strategies through education and resources, including support staff 38. To do so, there is a need for context-specific research15 and effort from multiple sectors to implement more preventive strategies 38. There is evidence of the differences in injury mechanisms,39 and game characteristics40 between Men’s and Women’s football.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…It often fails to acknowledge the differences in structure, resources, quality of training, technique or tactics and how gender might affect training, competition exposure and injury risk 13 14. Understanding more about athlete’s context may help develop interventions for women’s football 15. While many studies aim to quantify injury risk, the injury prevention strategies applied, and the perception of players and staff are rarely described.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Considering the reality, I am very lucky’: how professional players and staff perceive injury prevention and performance protection in women’s football

Bolling,

Tomás,

Verhagen

2024

Br J Sports Med

Self Cite

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ObjectiveTo explore the beliefs and perceptions of professional female footballers and staff regarding injury prevention and performance protection in professional women’s football.MethodsThis qualitative study applied semistructured interviews with 18 participants from 3 top-tier teams from 2 countries (Portugal and England) and 4 nationalities, including 2 physiotherapists, 5 players, 3 team doctors, 2 head coaches, 3 strength and conditioning coaches, 2 managers, and 1 head of performance. Data analysis applied constant comparison analysis, using principles of grounded theory. There were no major differences in the perspectives of players and staff, and the findings are presented together.ResultsIdentifying and reporting injuries and recognising potential injury risk factors were mentioned to influence the prevention of injury. Participants stated that the growth and evolution of women’s football could influence injury risk. Before reaching the professional level, exposure to potential risk factors, such as lack of recovery, limited awareness and opportunities for prevention (eg, preventive exercises and load management strategies), was believed to impact players’ injury risk. Players further described their experiences and the ‘bumpy road’ to becoming a professional player, their current context and potential future improvements for women’s football regarding injury prevention and performance protection.ConclusionProfessional female football players face different injury risks during different moments of their careers. According to elite players and staff, amateur and semiprofessionals have limited resources and lack injury prevention strategies. Professional players and staff perceived the current preventive measures as good and relied on the value of individualised care and a multidisciplinary approach. In the future, more resources and structured injury prevention strategies are needed in youth and non-professional levels of women’s football to reduce injury risk and allow more players to reach their maximal performance.

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“…In this sense, the experience and knowledge of female football coaches and players can help guide research problems, and conducting interviews with the real participants and connoisseurs of the sport can be an effective tool, as demonstrated in other areas of knowledge ( García-Fariña et al, 2018 , 2021 ; Del Giacco et al, 2020 ; Alvarado et al, 2021 ; Nunes et al, 2022 ). In the coming years, clubs, public bodies, and researchers must direct their efforts toward achieving the following objectives ( Nassis et al, 2021 ): (i) to know the needs of female football coaches and players, (ii) to intensify scientific production on female football, (iii) through the integration of coaches and players in the studies carried out, and (iv) in search of an improvement in sports practice and the performance of female football teams.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future horizons in the analysis of technical-tactical performance in women’s football: a mixed methods approach to the analysis of in-depth interviews with professional coaches and players

et al. 2023

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IntroductionScientific knowledge about the criteria that determine success in women’s football is beginning to develop.MethodsThis study was carried out with the aim of detecting regularities in the offensive success in elite women’s football, as well as carrying out an interrelational analysis of linked behaviors, based on in-depth interviews with professional coaches and players. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted with professional Spanish coaches and players. The interviews were analyzed by indirect observation from a process of “quantitizing,” through the construction of an indirect observation ad hoc instrument. The segmentation of the transcription of the interviews was carried out in textual units, and the creation of a matrix of codes. Two types of analysis were performed: first, a lag sequential analysis (LSA) was performed and, then, a polar coordinates analysis (PCA), which allowed to find, respectively, a wide number of established communicative patterns with offensive performance in women’s football, as well as an interrelational map between the established codes.ResultsThe results obtained allowed us to suggest a statistically significant association between success in women’s football and criteria such as the physical characteristics of a particular player, the individual action space, the duration of the attack, the type of dynamic start, individual and collective technical and tactical aspects, decision making and the type of attack used.DiscussionBased on these results, the influence of these criteria on performance in women’s soccer can be studied in future studies. In addition, with the aim of increasing the validity of these conclusions, new studies on this subject may be carried out following strategies such as the Delphi Method.

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Elite women’s football: Evolution and challenges for the years ahead

Cited by 20 publications

References 30 publications

Recovery during Successive 120-min Football Games: Results from the 120-min Placebo/Carbohydrate Randomized Controlled Trial

Recovery during Successive 120-min Football Games: Results from the 120-min Placebo/Carbohydrate Randomized Controlled Trial

‘Considering the reality, I am very lucky’: how professional players and staff perceive injury prevention and performance protection in women’s football

Future horizons in the analysis of technical-tactical performance in women’s football: a mixed methods approach to the analysis of in-depth interviews with professional coaches and players

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