ReviewSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2021
Physiological Characteristics of Female Soccer Players and Health and Performance Considerations: A Narrative Review.
Review in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 74 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 141 citations in OpenAlex.
- Self-Report Health Screening Tools in Female Athletes: A Systematic Review of Domain Coverage, Validation, and Use Across Participation Levels.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of plyometric jump training on physical performance in female soccer players across the competitive level: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Pooled it
- Metabolomics analyses and physical interventions in soccer: a systematic review.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of the menstrual cycle on the performance of female football players. A systematic review.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Training in women soccer players: A systematic review on training load monitoring.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of Root Extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on Perception of Recovery and Muscle Strength in Female Athletes.European journal of sport science · 2025Trial
- Evaluating the evening carbohydrate dilemma: the effect of within-the-day carbohydrate periodization on body composition and physical fitness.European journal of nutrition · 2024Trial
- Higher age and present injury at the start of the season are risk factors for in-season injury in amateur male and female football players-a prospective cohort study.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2023Trial
- Body fat estimation in the Mexican women's national soccer team: a cross-sectional agreement study between a derived Mexican Football Federation anthropometric equation and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Article
- Urinary Metabolic Profiles Before and After the Winter Training Season in Female Soccer Players.Metabolites · 2026Article
- From Growth to Greatness: A Leading Article on the Professionalisation, Health and Performance Challenges in Women's Football.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
- Monitoring Menstrual Health in Footballers: Considerations for Tracking Menstrual and Hormonal Contraceptive Cycles in the Field to Support Performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Fueling Women's Football: Evidence-Informed Practical Nutrition Strategies for Performance and Health.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Psychological readiness to return to sport in elite female football players in Kosovo: a PRIA-RS cross-sectional study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Physical Fitness and External Training Load Represent Distinct Dimensions of Performance in Female Football Players During the Pre-Season.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The effects of an 8-week Exer-Genie-assisted speed and ABC drill training program on speed, hamstring strength, and vertical jump performance in female football players.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Twelve Weeks of In-Season Strength Training at Moderate Intensities Improve Strength and Body Composition Without Increasing Muscle Damage or Inflammation in Elite Young Female Soccer Players.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Menstrual Cycle Characteristics and Injury History in Adult Amateur Female Football Players: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Selected LEAF-Q Items.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The effects of French contrast method on explosive power and speed-related skills in female soccer players: a randomized controlled trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 8 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
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.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.