Analysis of running performance in the two main Spanish Women's football leagues: A case study

The objective of this study was to describe and compare the running demands and performances in women's elite football in different types of training sessions and matches, considering two professional categories (First Division and Second Division) during two consecutive seasons. A total of 32 players were analyzed in the Spanish Women's First Division (C1) and Second Division (C2). In addition to the match-day (MD), four types of training sessions were analyzed: four, three and one days before the MD, MD-4, MD-3 and MD-1 respectively, and one day after, MD + 1. The recorded variables, were: effective minutes (EM), total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR), sprint (SPR) and distance covered per minute (TDmin). The results were: 1) for both categories: no training session replicated the demands of competition, except for MD + 1 in C2 which accumulated higher values in two variables (HSR and SPR). MD-1 was the session with the lowest load and intensity; 2) C1 only presented higher demands than C2 in two (TD, 9533 m vs 9255 m and TDmin, 98,8 m/min vs 96 m/min) of the four variables in the MD. We can conclude that there was an inverted U-shaped distribution in running performance within the competition microcycle in both categories, despite that most of the training sessions were not more demanding than the competition, and that there were only differences between categories in competition running performance. The practical applications of this study could improve intervention strategies in both the training process and competition.