{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:51:31Z","timestamp":1787028691602,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,28]],"date-time":"2024-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1724803200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JFMK"],"abstract":"<jats:p>To investigate how contextual or environmental factors may influence the athletic performance of female soccer players during competitions, this study aimed to assess the impact of match-related variables (playing surface; opponent levels; opponent result trends; match status, and match outcomes) on the athletic performance of professional female soccer athletes. Seventeen athletes (25.5 \u00b1 4.3 years of age) from the same team competing in the Italian second division were divided into two groups according to their roles and athletic characteristics: Group A (central defenders and forwards) and Group B (right\/left full-backs and midfielders). Total distance (TD) and sprint distance (SD); high-speed running (HSR), acceleration (ACC), and deceleration numbers (DEC); average and maximal heart rate (HR_avg; HR_max); and match-related factors were collected during the 22 regular season matches. A T-test and ANOVA were used to calculate the differences between groups in GPS and HR variables and the effects of match-related factors, respectively. Results showed higher running performance in the B group compared to the A group during matches. Increased ACC number was seen in matches played on artificial turf; winning was associated with decreased HR_max and increased DEC number. Athletes covered higher TD reaching lower HR_max when playing against lower-ranking opponents while matches lost\/drawn resulted in higher HSR. High HRs (max and avg) were found when playing against a team with a positive performance trend. In summary, match-related factors and opponents\u2019 characteristics can affect athletic performance in female soccer athletes. These factors should be considered during in-seasonal training to personalize match preparation and optimize athlete performance.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jfmk9030149","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,28]],"date-time":"2024-08-28T07:52:08Z","timestamp":1724831528000},"page":"149","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["How Match-Related Variables Influence the Physical Demands of Professional Female Soccer Players during the Regular Season"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Marcelli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Humanities, Movement and Education Sciences, University \u201cNiccol\u00f2 Cusano\u201d, 00166 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1997-7028","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fioretta","family":"Silvestri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Humanities, Movement and Education Sciences, University \u201cNiccol\u00f2 Cusano\u201d, 00166 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gianluca","family":"Di Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Humanities, Movement and Education Sciences, University \u201cNiccol\u00f2 Cusano\u201d, 00166 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"BIND\u2014Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center, University \u201cG. D\u2019Annunzio\u201d Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University \u201cG. D\u2019Annunzio\u201d Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5532-6380","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Chiara","family":"Gallotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiology and Pharmacology \u201cVittorio Erspamer\u201d, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2363-0956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davide","family":"Curzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Humanities, Movement and Education Sciences, University \u201cNiccol\u00f2 Cusano\u201d, 00166 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.5114\/biolsport.2024.129476","article-title":"Match demands of female team sports: A scoping review","volume":"41","author":"Spyrou","year":"2024","journal-title":"Biol. 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