Considerations for working with female players

Women’s football has seen rapid recent growth, demonstrated by increased media attention (Fédération Internationale de Football Association [FIFA], 2019), professionalism (many players are now full-time professionals), and recognition by international bodies in the form of new governing strategies (Kryger et al., 2021). This growth looks set to continue with FIFA targeting an increase in female participation worldwide from 13.3 million in 2019 to 60 million by 2026 (FIFA, 2019). Whilst research into the women’s game has also intensified, there remains substantial disparity, and the application of knowledge generated from the men’s game to the women’s game is questionable (Emmonds et al., 2019; Kryger et al., 2021). It is not known and is often questioned whether applying what is known from men’s football to the women’s game can provide an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the women’s side of the game. Given the magnitude of growth in women’s football, along with the continued commitment of investment and increasing participation, there is a need to accelerate high-quality research and disseminate knowledge of practical applications that benefit the health, injury, and performance outcomes of female footballers. Therefore, there are two main aims of this chapter: (1) briefly outline the between-sex differences in match demands, physiology, injury epidemiology, maturation, and health considerations within the context of football and (2) provide practical strength and conditioning recommendations when working with female players.