Author(s): BYBERG, M., SANDGREN, S.S., TØNNESSEN, E., MYKLEBUST, H., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF STAVANGER , Country: NORWAY, Abstract-ID: 1893

INTRODUCTION:
With the increasing professionalisation and rising physical demands in women`s football, the need for accurate load management is evident (1). Athlete monitoring, through the systematic collection, analysis, and application of workload data alongside athletes’ training responses and wellbeing, is a well-established approach for optimising performance and mitigating injury risk (2) . With occurring recommendations on monitoring methods in women’s football, it is important to characterise potential gaps with real-life practices (3,4). However, little is known about current practices and key stakeholder’s perceptions in women`s football. Therefore, the present study aims to examine monitoring practices and perceptions among (i) players and (ii) coaching and performance staff.
METHODS:
A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. All cubs from the Norwegian women’s premier league were invited to complete a role-specific online survey on their data collection methods, data analysis, implementation and evaluation of their current monitoring practice. Eight clubs participated, eliciting responses from six head coaches, eight practitioners, and 113 players.
RESULTS:
Five clubs (62.5%) reported systematic monitoring. All five included subjective measures, four collected external loads, while one club measured counter movement jump-test. On perceived individualisation of training load (scale 1–7), monitoring players and staff reported median scores of 5 and 6, respectively, whereas non-monitoring players and staff reported median scores of 4 and 2. The most frequently reported challenges were “players not responding” for data collection, “time constraints” for data analysis, and “lack of equipment” and “tactical considerations” for decision on load adjustment.
CONCLUSION:
In this cohort, athlete monitoring is widely accepted but implemented heterogeneously and constrained by available resources. Findings on perceived individualisation generate the hypothesis that implementing monitoring may support perceived individualisation, with visible use of data and good communication acting as key facilitators. Future research should further investigate the acute and chronic effects of implementing monitoring, clarify the practical value of objective readiness measures, and identify which monitoring methods and variables that support coaches when making decisions on training load adjustments.

References:
1 FIFA, 2020.
2 Gabbett et al., 2017. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097298
3 Beato et al., 2024. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2023-0405
4 Coutts, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2017-0455