Tracy Lewis

The purpose of training is typically to expose players to sufficient and appropriate stimuli to facilitate adaptations which adequately prepare them for the demands of match-play (Morgans et al., 2...

The primary aim of this scoping review was to summarise the current scientific literature on the performance, health and development of youth women's footballers. The review provides a summary of the research topics, including methodological approaches adopted and key findings, and identifies gaps in the literature. A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted in December 2023 and June 2025, with keywords relating to the population, football, and performance, health and development. Studies which involved youth women's footballers playing at any competitive standard, and quantified at least one aspect of performance, health or development were included. Of the 16,473 studies identified in the database searches, 294 studies met the eligibility criteria to be included in the review. Of the eight research topics investigating the performance, health and development of youth women's footballers, physical qualities was the most investigated ( n = 119; 40%), followed by injury ( n = 49; 17%), biomechanics ( n = 40; 14%), psychology ( n = 31; 11%), match-play ( n = 20; 7%), nutrition ( n = 14; 5%), fatigue and recovery ( n = 13; 4%) and training load ( n = 8; 3%). Players competing in regional (42%) and national competitions (32%), and within an U17 age-group (23%) were the most investigated. Over half of all studies (56%) were published from 2020 onwards, demonstrating recent rapid growth in youth women's football literature. This comprehensive resource can be used to inform practices supporting the performance, health and development of youth women's footballers across various competitive standards. Furthermore, multiple research areas are highlighted as underdeveloped, and areas for future research concerning this population to explore.

Background: Sport-related concussion is common in rugby union, yet female players remain underrepresented in research. This study examined seasonal changes in cerebral oxygenation, cardiac function, and concussion symptomology in adult female rugby players, and explored acute physiological responses following a single documented concussion. Methods: A total of 29 adult females (19 amateur rugby, 10 control) completed pre-, mid-, and end-season assessments. Measures included functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) of the pre-frontal cortex, seismocardiography (SCG)-derived cardiac timing indices, and Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 6 (SCAT6). Group and time effects were analysed using general linear models and statistical parametric mapping. Typical error (TE) and its 90% confidence intervals (90% CI) were used to determine meaningful changes post-concussion. Results: Rugby players reported more SCAT6 symptoms (number: p = 0.006, η²_p = 0.23; severity: p = 0.020, η²_p = 0.17). They also had shorter systolic time (p = 0.002, η²_p = 0.19) and higher twist force values (p = 0.014, η²_p= 0.21) than controls. fNIRS revealed higher right-hemisphere oxyhaemoglobin (ΔO₂Hb) responses for both tasks (ps < 0.001, η²_p = 0.77 and η²_p = 0.80) and lower activation in specific prefrontal channels. No seasonal changes occurred in global oxygenation or frequency band activity. In the exploratory single-concussion case, symptomology, SCG twist force, ΔO₂Hb, and cardiac band power exceeded TE and its 90% CI at 5 days post-injury. Conclusions: The multimodal approach detected stable group-level physiology alongside localised cortical and cardiac differences, and acute changes following concussion. While these results highlight the potential of combined fNIRS and SCG measures to capture physiological disturbances, the small sample size and single-concussion case necessitate cautious interpretation. Further validation in larger, longitudinal cohorts is required before any biomarker utility can be inferred.