Özet:

The research regarding the influence of morphological characteristics on soccer performance is particularly complex because the success in soccer in part depends upon the individual characteristics and team position of every player. It is necessary to have knowledge of these characteristics in order to establish their importance as key factors of success in competitive sports such as soccer. This is one reason why the authors decided to determine the morphological differences of elite Croatian female soccer players according to their respective team positions, a logical extension of an earlier article focusing on male soccer players. The sample consisted of soccer players who were current members of first league clubs in Croatia (n=24) and who were tested at the end of the 2005/06 competition season (prior to the European championship). According to the instructions issued by the International Biological Program, the following anthropometrical variables were measured: body height, body mass, leg length, arm length, biacromial and bicristal diameters, knee and elbow diameters, upper arm girth, forearm girth, thigh girth and calf girth. The body fat percentage and relative body fat mass in female soccer players were determined using the Sloan and Siri equations. The differences in team position (goalkeepers, defenders, forwards and midfielders) were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The statistical significance was set at p<0.05. The goalkeepers proved to be the tallest and the heaviest players on the team, with longest legs and arms, and the largest thigh girth. The MANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences in any of the selected parameters among female soccer players according to their team positions. An analysis of the female soccer players’ team positions demonstrated no significant differences in morphological variables. The players’ values (average height and body mass) fell within the range of normal values recorded in the general population and other elite European female soccer players. Therefore, we can conclude that Croatian female soccer players are morphologically similar to their counterparts on other elite European soccer teams. These findings are useful because a consideration of morphological characteristics is important in the selection of players, especially goalkeepers, for team positions.

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