Average demands and most demanding passages of national-level female soccer matches: do small- and large-sided games replicate match demands?

Introduction

This study aims to (1) determine the average and most demanding passage (MDP) load of national-level female soccer matches and (2) evaluate the relationship between average and MDP load during small-sided games (SSGs), large-sided games (LSGs), and matches.

Methods

A total of 37 national-level female soccer players from a single club senior team and the U18 team participated. The average and 1-, 3-, and 5-min MDP external (total, high-speed, and very-high-speed running distances, acceleration and deceleration distances, average metabolic power, and high-metabolic load distance) and internal loads (average heart rate, rate of perceived exertion) of the 29 league matches, ten 4 vs. 4 + goalkeepers SSGs, and six 8 vs. 8 + goalkeepers LSGs were analyzed by the Polar Team Pro player tracking system.

Results

In matches, the external load variables during 1-, 3-, and 5-min MDPs were 167%-1,165%, 135%-504%, and 126%-359%, of match average values, respectively. In LSGs, all external load variables reached higher average values compared with those during matches, except for the very-high-speed running distance; however, no variable reached higher values of 1-min MDP compared with those during the matches. In SSGs, the average acceleration and deceleration distances were higher compared with those during the matches.

Discussion

The findings from the present study suggest that LSGs and SSGs can be used to overload the average values of the selected external load variables compared with those during the matches; however, other training options must be explored to overload 1-min match MDPs.

Training Load Quantification in Women's Elite Football: A Season-Long Prospective Cohort Study

The aim of this study was to investigate (1) if there are differences in training load and intensity between the different training days within a microcycle and (2) if training load and intensity within the different training days are stable over the course of a season. Data were collected over a full season from a team in the women's premier division in Norway. External load (total distance, high-speed-running distance, sprint distance, and the combined number of accelerations and decelerations [ACCDEC]) was assessed using a 10-Hz GPS system with a built-in accelerometer. Internal load was assessed through session rating of perceived exertion, which was multiplied with session duration (session rating of perceived exertion-load). Training days were classified in relation to their proximity to the upcoming match day (MD): MD - 4, MD - 3, MD - 2, and MD - 1. Contents on these days were standardized according to a weekly periodization model followed by the coaching staff. Differences between training days were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. All training days were significantly different from each other across multiple variables. ACCDEC values were highest on MD - 4 (147.5 [13.0] ACCDEC count), and all distance variables were highest on MD - 3. All measures of training load were significantly reduced from MD - 3 to MD - 2 (effect size [ES] = 1.0-4.1) and from MD - 2 to MD - 1 (ES = 1.6-4.3). A significant negative effect across the season was observed for session rating of perceived exertion-load and ACCDEC (ES = 0.8-2.1). These results provide evidence that elite female football teams can be successful in differentiating training load between training days when implementing a weekly periodization approach.