Weekly External Load in Italian Women's Football Players: Influence of Playing Time

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Football (Soccer) Performance Analysis

Background:

• Understanding athlete workload is crucial for optimizing training and preventing injuries in professional sports.
• Differentiating external load distribution between starting and non-starting players provides insights into team training dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the weekly external load distribution between starting (ST) and non-starting (NS) players in Italian professional women's football.
• To investigate the influence of playing time on the external training load experienced by players.

Main Methods:

• Global Positioning System (GPS) technology was used to measure external load variables.
• Key metrics included total distance (TD), high-speed running, sprint distance, accelerations (ACC), and decelerations (DEC).
• Players were categorized as ST (≥60 minutes in 3 consecutive matches) or NS.

Main Results:

• Non-starters (NS) showed significantly higher total distance, high-speed running, accelerations, and decelerations on match day +2 compared to starters (ST).
• NS also exhibited significantly greater total distance, accelerations, and decelerations on match day -4 versus ST.
• No significant differences in external load were found between groups on match days -3, -2, and -1.

Conclusions:

• Non-starting players in women's football experience higher external training loads on specific days relative to match play (MD-4 and MD+2).
• These elevated loads in non-starters may indicate compensatory training strategies to compensate for reduced match participation.
• The findings highlight the importance of tailored load management for both starters and non-starters to ensure optimal player development and injury prevention.