Benchmarking the Physical Performance Qualities in Women’s Football: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Across the Performance Scale
Abstract
There is a lack of data and its systematic organisation relating to the physical performance qualities of women’s football players across the performance scale (i.e. level of competition categorised into unique tiers). (1) To establish meta-analytic estimates for select assessment protocols across seven physical qualities (cardiorespiratory fitness, sprint time, acceleration time, change of direction, lower limb power, lower limb strength, and maximal velocity), and (2) to investigate the moderating effect of participant tier; collectively providing normative benchmarking data. A systematic literature search of four databases (Pubmed, SportDiscuss, Scopus, and Web of Science) for studies published between 2003 and 2023 was conducted, with a secondary search for studies published until August 2024. Studies were considered for inclusion if they were published in English, the population was female football players with a minimum mean age of 16 years and the studies reported descriptive data from selected testing protocols. All study designs were eligible, excluding acute interventions such as training or supplementation. Performance scale (i.e. participant tier) of the study participants was categorised into four distinct levels (Tier 2 to Tier 5) using a modified version of the Participant Classification Framework, with Tier 5 representing world-class athletes. Study risk of bias assessment was conducted using an adapted version of the Downs and Black tool. Means and standard…
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