Anthropometric and physical fitness profiles of Tunisian female soccer players: Associations with field position

Background: There is a lack of descriptive data available regarding the characteristics of female soccer players from the African continent or the Arab world. Objective: This study investigated the anthropometric and physical fitness profiles of Tunisian female soccer players in relation to field position. Methods: In all, 75 Tunisian sub-elite female soccer players, with an average of 4.3 ± 1.6 years of playing experience, including goalkeepers (GK; n = 11), central defenders (CD; n = 13), external defenders (ED; n = 15), central midfielders (CM; n = 10), external midfielders (EM; n = 14), and attackers (AT; n = 12), underwent anthropometric evaluations (body height, body mass, and body fat percentage) and physical fitness tests (flexibility, countermovement jump [CMJ], 20-m sprint, and Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 [YoYoIR1]). Results: GK had significantly higher body mass (67.3 ± 2.4 kg), body height (169.3 ± 1.7 m) and fat percentage (24 ± 2.6%) compared to all field positions. AT were significantly faster (3.64 ± 0.10 s) than GK (3.75 ± 0.09 s) in the 20-m sprint (p < .01), but there were no significant differences among the other field positions. GK had a significantly lower Yo-YoIR1 performance (625 ± 84 m) than other field position players (p < .001), but no significant difference was found among other field positions. GK and AT showed significantly better CMJ performance (GK: 31.3 ± 2.6 cm, AT: 30.4 ± 2.4 cm) compared to other groups. GK had higher flexibility (21.6 ± 2.7 cm in the the sit-and-reach test) than all other positions (p < .05), but no significant difference was observed among players in the field. Conclusions: Overall, we can conclude that, in a north African sample of female soccer players, anthropometric profiles vary by playing position. As well, positional differences can be found when testing physical fitness components. This information could help coaches design more effective training programs to achieve success in modern soccer.