Physical performance profiling in Moroccan women’s football: a functional assessment from the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra regional league

Abstract

This study aimed to establish normative physical performance profiles for Moroccan female football players across three competition levels and four age categories. Despite the recent growth of women’s football in Morocco, evidence-based data on physical capacities remain scarce. Developing standardized performance benchmarks is essential for guiding talent identification and individualized training strategies. A total of 109 female footballers (aged 14–32 years), from five clubs competing across three levels of the Moroccan national championship, underwent a standardized test battery including sprint tests (10, 20, 30 m), coordination sprint (20 m slalom), countermovement jump with and without arm swing (CMJ and CMJmax), squat jump (SJ), drop jump (DJ), a 15 s repeated jump test, horizontal jump, 30-second abdominal test, medicine-ball throw, Vameval test for maximal aerobic speed (MAS), and Ruffier–Dickson recovery test. Players were grouped by competitive level, age category, and playing position. Reliability analysis in a sub-sample (n = 15) confirmed high reproducibility (ICC = 0.87–0.95; CV = 3.8–5.8%). Group comparisons were conducted using ANOVA/ANCOVA, with age as a covariate and partial eta-squared (η²p) as effect size. Significant age effects were found for CMJ-BL (p = 0.021, η²p = 0.105) and MAS (p = 0.001, η²p = 0.175), with senior players outperforming younger categories, while 10 m sprint times did not differ (p = 0.147). Across competition levels, second-division players showed superior vertical and horizontal jumps (p < 0.05), greater abdominal endurance, and better Ruffier–Dickson recovery indices (6.19 ± 1.2) compared with first-division (8.07 ± 1.4) and regional players (8.97 ± 1.8). First-division athletes maintained faster 30 m sprint times (p = 0.004, η²p = 0.10), while coordination sprint performance was higher in D1–D2 players than in regional ones (p < 0.05, η²p = 0.08–0.12). No positional differences were detected for CMJ, MAS, or sprint (all p > 0.15, η²p < 0.05), likely reflecting generalized conditioning practices and uneven subgroup sizes. Moroccan female footballers exhibit heterogeneous performance profiles, with marked variability in jump capacity, aerobic endurance, and recovery indices across competition levels and age categories. The superior performance of second-division players in selected tests may reflect differences in training emphasis, with greater focus on core and endurance conditioning. These findings underscore the importance of individualized, data-driven preparation strategies and standardized monitoring frameworks. Integrating standardized physical profiling into Moroccan women’s football can optimize individualized conditioning, refine talent identification, and align domestic training models with international performance standards.