Fitness determinants of success in men's and women's football

In this study, we examined gender and age differences in physical performance in football. Thirty-four elite female and 34 elite male players (age 171.6 to 243.4 years) from a professional football club were divided into four groups (n=17 each) according to gender and competitive level (senior males, senior females, junior males, and junior females). Players were tested for specific endurance (Yo-YoIR1), sprint over 15m (Sprint-15m), vertical jump without (CMJ) or with (ACMJ) arm swing, agility (Agility-15m), and ball dribbling over 15m (Ball-15m). The Yo-YoIR1 and Agility-15m performances showed both a gender and competitive level difference (P0.001). Senior and junior males covered 97 and 153% more distance during the Yo-YoIR1 than senior and junior females, respectively (P0.001). Gender but not age differences were found for Sprint-15m performance (P0.001). No difference in vertical jump and Ball-15m performances were found between senior and junior males (P0.05). More marked gender differences were evident in endurance than in anaerobic performance in female players. These results show major fitness differences by gender for a given competitive level in football players. It is suggested that training and talent identification should focus on football-specific endurance and agility as fitness traits in post-adolescent players of both sexes.