Developing a Functional Training Program to Improve the Physical Fitness of Female University Football Players

Abstract

Background and Aims: Female football has seen growing participation at the university level, yet traditional training programs often fail to address the unique physiological characteristics (e.g., hamstring-quadriceps strength imbalance, high risk of anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] injury) and the sport-specific physical demands of female players. The objectives of this study were threefold: 1) to investigate the current situation and challenges of physical fitness training for female university football players; 2) to develop a targeted functional training program tailored to this population based on expert input and needs assessment; 3) to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed program in improving key physical fitness components (strength, speed, agility, endurance) of female university football players.

Methodology: This was a quasi-experimental study. Sample selection adopted purposive sampling: the sample group consisted of 30 female football players from Inner Mongolia Medical University, aged 19–20 years, with the occupation of undergraduate students (majoring in various disciplines) who had at least 1 year of university-level football training experience and represented the university in football competitions and regular training. Research tools included: 1) a Likert-scale questionnaire (used to investigate training challenges, with content validity verified by 3 experts via Index of Item-Objective Congruence [IOC] = 0.78); 2) structured expert interview outlines (to guide the development of focus group frameworks, IOC = 0.82 verified by 3 experts); 3) focus group discussion frameworks (to refine the training program with 9 experts); 4) an 8-week functional training program (implemented 5 days/week, 2 hours/day, including warm-up, main training, and cool-down); 5) standardized physical fitness assessment tools (hamstring maximum strength test [1RM], 30-meter sprint test, Illinois Agility Test, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test). For data analysis, descriptive statistics (mean [\bar{x}], standard deviation [SD]) were used to summarize basic data, and inferential statistics (one-way repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons) were applied to analyze differences in physical fitness across time points, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in all physical fitness indicators among pre-training, after 4 weeks of training, and after 8 weeks of training (p < 0.05 for all): 1) Hamstring strength (1RM) increased progressively from 60.53±10.55 kg (pre-test) to 61.45±10.88 kg (4 weeks) and further to 66.29±11.40 kg (8 weeks) (F = 94.84, p < 0.001); 2) 30-meter sprint time decreased from 5.36±0.32 s (pre-test) to 5.30±0.39 s (4 weeks) and 5.11±0.47 s (8 weeks) (F = 20.86, p < 0.001); 3) Illinois Agility Test time reduced from 18.96±0.85 s (pre-test) to 18.91±0.93 s (4 weeks) and 18.65±1.32 s (8 weeks) (F = 7.14, p = 0.002); 4) Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test distance improved from 813.33±61.55 m (pre-test) to 842.67±68.83 m (4 weeks) and 889.33±71.77 m (8 weeks) (F = 65.89, p < 0.001). Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons confirmed significant differences between every two adjacent time points (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The 8-week functional training program developed in this study is highly effective in improving the physical fitness of female university football players. It not only significantly enhances core fitness components (strength, speed, agility, endurance) that are critical for football performance but also addresses key issues, such as hamstring weakness (which reduces ACL injury risk) and insufficient intermittent endurance. The program is tailored to the unique physiological needs and training challenges of female university football players, providing an evidence-based and practical training framework for coaches and sports science practitioners in university football settings.