ECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP05
INTRODUCTION: Current FA guidelines for girls’ talent pathways in England advocate for girls to play football in boys leagues to enhance their development, though benefits have not yet been quantified. This study examined technical and physical differences between mixed (i.e. vs boys) and same-sex (i.e. vs girls) competition in U12 and U14 girl's academy players. METHODS: Players from two girl’s professional football Academies (n = 88, age: 11.4 and 13.4 years) participated in the study across the 2024/25-2025/26 seasons. Players wore a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit (Playermaker) that captured physical (total distance, high intensity distance (U12:>3m/s, U14:>4 m/s), sprint distance (U12:>5m/s, U14:>5.5 m/s), accelerations/decelerations, top speed) and technical (touches, releases, time on the ball, one touch actions) metrics. U14 matches were 80 minutes, 11v11 format, and 60 minutes of 9v9 format in U12 matches. 281 U14 observations (51 players: 90 vs boys, 191 vs girls) and 322 U12 observations (37 players: 198 vs boys, 124 vs girls) were analysed. Separate linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate the impact of opposition gender on physical and technical performance, with player as a random effect and participation time as a covariate. The analyses were conducted in R using the nlme package, with maximum likelihood for model comparisons and restricted maximum likelihood for final parameter estimates. RESULTS: After controlling for participation time, U14’s covered significantly greater total distance (5384m vs 4982m, p=0.025), high intensity distance (704m vs 570m, p<0.001), and sprint distance (70m vs 46m, p<0.001) vs girls than vs boys. However, they had significantly fewer touches on the ball (62 vs 83, p<0.001), less time on the ball (31s vs 46s, p<0.001), and fewer releases (23 vs 29, p<0.001) vs girls than vs boys. There were no significant effects on accelerations/decelerations, top speed or one touch actions (p >0.05). U12’s had significantly more touches in games vs girls than vs boys (71 vs 62, p<0.001). However vs girls, players covered significantly less high intensity distance (1038m vs 1109m, p=0.031) and sprint distance (49m vs 62m, p=0.0015) than games vs boys. There were no significant effects on distance covered, top speed, accelerations/decelerations, total time on the ball, one touch actions, or releases (p >0.05). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest age specific differences when comparing same sex and mixed sex competition. The implications for practice and research are discussed. U14 players may develop their physical abilities when playing against girls and enhance their technical abilities playing against boys. Playing against boys at U12 may enhance the ability to perform longer at higher intensities though most metrics showed no differences. However, opposition skill level was not considered, and should be investigated to confirm if effects are attributed to gender or skill level.
Read CV Leila BenyahiaECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP05
INTRODUCTION: Resistance exercise training (RET) leads to increases in muscular size/mass (hypertrophy) and strength changes. Lean mass (LM), of which skeletal muscle mass is a sub-component, plays a role in strength and, in many cases, it is positively correlated with sports performance. However, it is proposed that there is an upper limit to the amount of LM attainable by an individual. Previous research suggests that the greatest increase in whole-body LM occurs in the first year of structured resistance training, with a steep decrease in adaptation after this time. For competitive football athletes, altering body composition to meet the physical demands of their sport is common practice. High-level athletes undertaking monitored, prescribed, progressive intense RET are a valuable population to observe rates of LM adaptation and also assess the potential upper limits of muscular hypertrophy with increasing training status (from novice – 1 year – to experienced – 5+ years). METHODS: 137 University North American football players between the ages of 18 and 25 took part in the study, producing 382 DXA assessments. Collections were placed at relevant points around the competitive season during pre-, post-, and off-season timeframes. All DXA assessments were collected under identical controls: no food, water, or vigorous exercise for at least 8 hours, voided bladder and bowels, and rehydration with 500mL of water followed by 15 minutes of quiet laying in advance of scan start. All athletes were following a structured and supervised RET routine designed by a certified strength and conditioning specialists 2-4 times per week during the study involvement period. RESULTS: Linear mixed-effects modeling revealed no significant interaction between resistance training status (novice through experienced) and the amount of LM adaptation (p > 0.05). All training status groups (1 through 5+ years) exhibited similar relative changes in lean mass accumulation of ~1.5kg per year, indicating that training age was not a primary driver of lean mass changes in this cohort. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that university-level football athletes continue to show improvements in lean mass throughout their collegiate playing careers, regardless of prior resistance training experience. The absence of a significant “plateau” in LM accretion indicates that structured, supervised resistance training remains an effective stimulus for hypertrophy even in athletes with 5 or more years of experience.
Read CV Brandan WilsonECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP05
Objective: Fatigability, the susceptibility to fatigue and its effects, plays a key role on sport performance. This study aimed to compare the effects of different training interventions on mental fatigability in young soccer players while investigate the mechanism(s) underlying potential training adaptations. Methods: A randomized controlled trial including pre-testing/6-weeks intervention/post-testing was conducted with 66 young male soccer players (Mage = 15.3 ± .54 years). Participants were randomly assigned to three different groups: ECOlogical-BET (Brain Endurance Training; n=24) vs NON-ECOlogical BET (n=24) vs CONTrol (n=23). The three groups performed the same training sessions, differences were included at the last 15 min. of each session, where: ECO-BET performed a soccer-specific physically+cognitively demanding tasks vs NON-ECO BET performed a soccer-specific physically demanding task intermixed with short-bouts of cognitive tasks performed in a smartphone vs CONT performed the soccer-specific physical task. In pre- and post-testing, a) Perceived MF (Visual Analogue Scale 100-mm) and b) Soccer-specific performance (shooting performance and technical-tactical performance in Small Sided Games) were tested when fresh and after 30 min. of a sustained cognitively demanding activity (i.e., Incongruent Stroop). Potential underlying mechanisms were also evaluated: c) brain cortical activity (Emotiv EPOC X 14-channel electroencephalographic (EEG) system); d) heart Rate variability (HRV; i.e., the root Mean Square of Successive Differences (rMSSD), e) and executive functions (i.e., SOMA NPT App). Data was analyzed using Linear Mixed Models (LMM); EEG signals were analyzed using EEGLAB plugin. Results: Both BET groups benefited perceived and performance fatigability. After the intervention, players involved in both BET groups showed lower increments in MF (p<.05) by the effects of 30 min- Stroop. ECO-BET also showed benefits on specific soccer performance when mentally fatigued in comparison with players involved in CONT (p<.05). This finding was accompanied by lower raises on rMSSD and a significant theta power decrease at frontal cortex region after engage in the Incongruent Stroop (p<.05) when compared with players involved in CONT (p<.05). This finding suggests the development of training-adaptations at the central level that are suggestive of higher mental fatigue resilience. On the contrary, the results suggest that performance on non-soccer specific executive functions was better benefited by the NON-ECO BET when compared with ECO-BET (p<.05) and CONT (p<.01.). Conclusions: Results support previous evidence that adding cognitive tasks to physical tasks benefits the tolerance of youth soccer players to mental fatigue and its effects. This is the first study to add that these benefits may be enhanced by the inclusion of soccer-specific cognitive demands, and that this benefit may be caused by adaptations at the central nervous system.
Read CV Ana Rubio-MoralesECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP05