FIFA Launches Female Health Project for Women Footballers

FIFA has launched the groundbreaking Female Health and Performance Project, a major initiative aimed at advancing research, education and knowledge tailored specifically to the health and performance needs of female athletes.

The project is timely as the game of women football is also rapidly gaining ground across the world and FIFA is committed to providing assistance to female footballers based on scientific evidence taking into account the unique physiological differences between female players.

In sport, the training methods, recovery strategies and performance systems used have predominantly been based on research with male athletes.

A new study of 5,261 sport and exercise science publications from 2014 to 2020 found that only 34% of the participants in all studies were female, and only 6% of all studies included only women.

FIFA has responded to this great need with a comprehensive educational platform that comprises 30 online modules in 13 key areas.

It disseminates science-based and peer-reviewed information to all 211 FIFA Member Associations, coaches, medical personnel, athletes and the general public.

The modules address vital topics such as female physiology, menstruation, menstrual health tracking, pregnancy and postpartum, fertility, menopause, pelvic health, nutrition, post-recovery, sleep, strength and conditioning, screening and profiling, and injury prevention.

Key Highlights:

• FIFA launched a Female Health and Performance Project to improve research and training for women footballers
• It addresses the gap in sports science, where women are largely underrepresented in studies
• The initiative offers 30 online modules on key topics like menstruation, nutrition, injury prevention, and recovery for global use

The initiative was highlighted by FIFA's Chief Women's Football Officer, Dame Sarai Bareman, who stressed the significance of the project in driving the ongoing advancement of the women's game.

FIFA's objective is to make the best of all women footballers' health, well-being and performance, and to enhance the understanding of women and girls in football at all levels of the game, Sarai said.

As a whole we can achieve so much more for the increasing number of female players; that we can train, support and understand female players as women.

The project is part of FIFA's pilot program that has been launched ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, offering specialized assistance to ten nations in preparation for the event.

“FIFA’s aim is to optimize every female footballer’s health, well-being and performance, and to improve knowledge around women and girls in football at every level of the game,” Bareman said.

“Collectively, we can do so much more to better support our growing number of female players and ensure they are trained, supported and understood according to their specific needs as women.”

“We need to normalize conversations around female health and embrace this, using it to our advantage instead of ignoring it or being fearful of discussing it,” Sarai added. “It is not a weakness; it is strength.”

The FIFA Female Health and Performance Project are accessible on FIFA's Training Centre platform and will serve as an important resource in the continual professionalization and development of women's football around the world.