FIFA launches women's health and performance project to address the needs of female athletes

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FIFA launched a women’s health and performance project on Monday to fill the void of information and research into the specific needs of female athletes as women’s soccer continues to grow.

The initiative, a series of online modules, provides peer-reviewed research, data and knowledge on 13 topics that impact female athletes, from pregnancy and fertility to recovery and nutrition.

Currently, only six per cent of sports science research exclusively focuses on women, according to FIFA. As a result, women are often trained using methods developed for male athletes because of the lack of available information on optimizing female performance.

In addition to athletes, the FIFA Female Health and Performance Project seeks to educate coaches and administrators at all levels of the sport, as well staff from teams, leagues and federations. It also aspires to normalize language while breaking taboos and misconceptions surrounding women’s health.

“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,” said Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s chief women’s football officer, in a statement on Monday. “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.”

The initiative builds on a pilot project that soccer’s governing body implemented ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup that offered specialized training programs designed for women.

Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press