Anthropometric and Physiological Characteristics of Division I College Female Soccer Players.: 2806 Board #329 June 3, 11: 00 AM - 12: 30 PM.

Women’s soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S. Over the last 30 years, the sport at college level has witnessed an exponential increase in participation rates. There are currently 1022 teams and 26358 athletes registered with the NCAA, however limited information exists about the physical attributes required to play at the elite college level. PURPOSE: To examine the anthropometric and physiological profile of Division I college female soccer players. A secondary purpose was to investigate any differences in relation to playing position and starters versus non-starters. METHODS: 24 college female soccer players took part in pre-season testing (3 goalkeepers, 7 defenders, 8 midfielders, and 6 forwards). The battery of tests included height and body mass, percent body fat by skinfold measurements, speed (10 m, 20 m, 30 m and flying 20 m), agility (arrowhead), lower body power (countermovement jump), aerobic capacity (Yo-Yo IR1 test) and repeated sprint ability (RSA). RESULTS: No significant differences were observed for any of the measures in relation to playing position. A significant difference was observed between starters and non-starters for aerobic capacity (p=0.038). No significant differences were observed for any of the other measures between starters and non-starters (Table 1).Table 1: Comparison of anthropometric and physiological measurements between starters and non-starters. Means ± SDCONCLUSION: Results provide a reference for the pre-season physical attributes required to play Division I college soccer. Starters had higher Yo-Yo IR1 test results than non-starters but no other differences were observed between playing positions or starters versus non-starters.