Fitness testing and readiness practices among female football practitioners: A survey study

McQuilliam, SJ orcid iconORCID: 0000-0002-4987-5938, de Keijzer, KL, Jeffries, AC and Beato, M (2025) Fitness testing and readiness practices among female football practitioners: A survey study. International journal of Sports Science & Coaching. ISSN 1747-9541

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Abstract

Physical tests and subjective measures, such as readiness and wellness, aid in optimising training and recovery, however, many tools lack proper validation, risking inaccurate conclusions. This study explores physical testing and readiness practices in female football. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among practitioners working with female footballers. The survey, consisting of five sections and 24 questions, examined three key areas: testing, wellness, and readiness. A total of 51 practitioners from professional, semi-professional, and academy levels completed the survey, detailing their use of testing and monitoring data. Strength, speed, and aerobic capacity were rated as “extremely important” for soccer performance. Strength and aerobic capacity were tested 2–3 times per season (41% and 59%, respectively), while speed was tested weekly (76%), often integrated with regular monitoring. Qualitative tools were used daily to assess wellness and readiness, with validated questionnaires (55% and 39%), self-developed questionnaires (43% and 37%), and informal conversations (37% and 41%) being the most common methods. Research on physical qualities in readiness is extensive, yet subjective measures are more widely used in practice, with significant variability in their application. Practitioners prioritize a player's “feel” over their readiness to “perform.”

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 4201 Allied Health and Rehabilitation Science; 42 Health Sciences; 11 Medical and Health Sciences; 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences; 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences; 42 Health sciences; 52 Psychology
Subjects: R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
Divisions: Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date of acceptance: 21 March 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access: 10 July 2025
Date Deposited: 10 Jul 2025 08:43
Last Modified: 10 Jul 2025 08:45
DOI or ID number: 10.1177/17479541251340283
URI: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26750
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