However, they are still not nearly as numerous as in the case of scientific reports on male football players. Furthermore, several studies have highlighted the main physical and physiological differences that exists between the genders67, 68 and 69 and a few considerations that are characteristic only of females, and therefore, not present in their male counterparts, such as the menstrual cycle,70, 71, 72 and 73 potential pregnancy and lactation,70 and 74 injury

risks,75, 76, 77, 78 and 79 and health concerns.64 and 72 These reports also emphasize how these traits could affect players’ football performance, health or their return to play. Hence, coaches of female players should be well educated on these topics. The age and body height of ALK inhibitor review elite female football players competing at most recent FIFA Women’s World Cup (Germany 2011) have been recently reported.80 The average age for all 16 participating teams was approximately 25 years (range: 21–28 years). The average age of the top four most successful teams in this tournament (Japan, USA, Sweden, and France) was in the upper range of 26–28 years. The youngest and oldest player of this tournament was a midfielder (16 years) and a goalkeeper (38 years), respectively. In agreement with other reports on male football players,11 female goalkeepers also seem to have longer careers than the field players. BMN 673 Some explanatory reasons for this may include

that experience plays a crucial role for the goalkeeping position, that goalkeepers are less vulnerable to injuries, and that the game overall physical demands placed upon them are lower compared to those of the field players.8 and 11 In terms of body height values reported from the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011,80 the average height of all teams was 168 cm. The tallest team was Germany (173 cm) and the shortest Japan (163 cm). The tallest individual player was 187 cm (a central defender)

and the shortest 152 cm (a midfielder). Three of the four semi-finalists were among the tallest teams in the tournament (USA, Sweden, and France). However, world champion Japan was the shortest team of the tournament. Goalkeepers too (mean height 172 cm and range 162–185 cm) were slightly taller than the field players.49 The mean values of age (12–27 years), body height (155–174 cm), body mass (48–72 kg), and percent body fat (13%–29%) reported in other publications for female players vary according to their nationality, competitive level, and positional role (Table 1). In the case of percent body fat, the type of measurement method used may also account for the discrepancies among the reported values. In men’s football, it has been shown that there may be anthropometric predispositions for some positional roles (such as goalkeeping, central defense, and attack), with tall players having a certain competitive advantage and, therefore, being selected to play these roles.