Looking for a specific women’s football research topic?

Career development in Women Football Refereeing: an exploratory study in Portugal and Spain
The article "Career Development in Women’s Football Refereeing: An Exploratory Study in Portugal and Spain" examines the challenges and opportunities for female referees in a male-dominated sport. Based on a survey of 427 referees, the study identifies key factors influencing recruitment, retention, and career progression.

A critical feminist analysis of women’s football in Türkiye: Challenges, opportunities, and societal implications
The article "A Critical Feminist Analysis of Women’s Football in Türkiye: Challenges, Opportunities, and Societal Implications" examines the development of women’s football in Türkiye through a feminist lens, highlighting social, economic, and institutional challenges. The study, based on interviews with female players and male coaches, identifies key issues such as gender stereotypes, financial disparities, limited visibility, and regional inequalities.

‘I feel I must work harder and still be overlooked’ – How the implementation of video assistant referee (VAR) influences gendered recruitment and working conditions in elite football refereeing
The article "I Feel I Must Work Harder and Still Be Overlooked" – How the Implementation of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Influences Gendered Recruitment and Working Conditions in Elite Football Refereeing examines how VAR implementation has affected gender equity in refereeing. Through fieldwork on Norwegian elite referees, the study highlights that VAR has created new barriers for women by increasing workload demands and reinforcing existing gendered recruitment biases.

Addressing gender inequalities in European football: Key dimensions and strategies
The article "Addressing Gender Inequalities in European Football: Key Dimensions and Strategies" by George Yiapanas examines the persistent disparities between men’s and women’s football in Europe, despite the growing popularity and professionalism of the women’s game. It identifies six key areas of inequality: participation rates, pay disparity, media coverage, leadership representation, infrastructural support, and cultural biases.

Extending the Dixon and Coles model: an application to women’s football data
The article "Extending the Dixon and Coles Model: An Application to Women’s Football Data" by Michels, Ötting, and Karlis explores statistical methods to model goal distributions in women’s football. It addresses limitations in the widely used Dixon and Coles model, which was developed for men’s football and struggles to account for key differences in women’s matches, such as overrepresentation of scores like 2-0 and 3-0.

Examining barriers and reasons for sport retirement in women's soccer: A qualitative study
The article "Examining Barriers and Reasons for Sport Retirement in Women's Soccer: A Qualitative Study" explores the challenges female soccer players face in continuing their careers and the factors leading to their early retirement. Based on interviews with 14 former players from Spanish national-level teams, the study identifies six major barriers to participation, including lack of time, financial limitations, and gender inequality.

A Bibliometric Study on the Evolution of Women’s Football and Determinants Behind Its Growth over the Last 30 Years
The article "A Bibliometric Study on the Evolution of Women’s Football and Determinants Behind Its Growth over the Last 30 Years" provides an overview of the academic research landscape surrounding women’s football from 1992 to 2024. Using bibliometric analysis of 127 scientific articles, the study identifies trends in publication growth, leading contributors, and popular research topics such as injury prevention, physical performance, and motivation.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, Representation, & Management
"The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, Representation, and Management" provides an in-depth exploration of the tournament's significance as a landmark event in the evolution of women’s football.

Staying in or Dropping Out of Elite Women's Football—Factors of Importance
The article "Staying in or Dropping Out of Elite Women's Football—Factors of Importance" investigates the reasons behind early career termination or continuation among female elite soccer players in Norway.

A data-driven analysis of the technical and tactical evolution of elite women's football
The article "A Data-Driven Analysis of the Technical and Tactical Evolution of Elite Women's Football" by Lotte Bransen and Jesse Davis explores changes in women’s football from 2013 to 2022 by analyzing over 3,500 matches from top leagues and the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Power and Finesse: How the United States’ and Australia’s Women’s National Soccer Teams Score for Equal Pay Women’s National Soccer Teams Score for Equal Pay
The article "Power and Finesse: How the United States' and Australia's Women's National Soccer Teams Score for Equal Pay" by Arianna Amato analyzes the legal and social strategies used by the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and Australia’s Matildas to achieve equal pay with their male counterparts.

Talent identification and development strategies in elite women’s soccer: a pan-European perspective
This study investigated the key factors deemed important by elite women’s soccer clubs concerning the: 1) identification of potential talent; 2) development of players within the player pathway; and 3) selection of players for the next age group or senior team.

Mapping the field: A bibliometric analysis of women's football research trends and future directions
This study reviews the scholarly literature on women's football using bibliometric data from Scopus from 1984 to February 2024.

Exploring a Soccer Society: dreams, themes and the beautiful game
The primary purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the key perspectives that emerge in this Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (AAAJ) Special Issue, as a basis for determining the existence or otherwise of a Soccer Society, as well as reflecting on the challenges that evidence of corruption in soccer (the beautiful game) has had on the game to date.

The Red Card of All Red Cards: How FIFA's Decision to Increase the Gap between the Men's and Women's World Cup Prize Monies Is a Violation of EU Law and the Equal Remuneration Convention
This Note analyzes why FIFA’s decision to increase the prize money gap is not only subject to E.U. law but is also a violation of E.U. law—a violation that can and should be resolved in the European Court of Justice.

Analysis of Gender Differences in Sports — Taking American Professional Women’s Soccer as an Example
This article delves into the multifaceted realm of gender disparities in sports, focusing on the enduring challenges faced by female soccer players, notably within the United States.

A Comparative Thematic Analysis of Institutional Betrayal in the National Women’s Soccer League and the Catholic Church
Using institutional betrayal theory as a context for understanding experiences, this paper presents an exploratory analysis of abuse and misconduct experiences from two separate institutions: the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Catholic Church.

Research On The Development Status Of Youth Women's Football In ChongQing Of China
This paper analyzes and discusses the development of youth women's football in Chongqing by using literature and logical analysis methods, explores the new development path of youth women's football in Chongqing, and realizes the value of football policy.

Sarah’s Sports Blog
Research comes in many forms. This blog written by a then-Northern Irish freshman at a Division 1 women's soccer program offers a unique glimpse into the 2018 landscape.

The Well-Being and Social Value of Playing Soccer for Women and Men
This study examines the well-being and social value of playing different forms of soccer for men and women by employing the compensating variation approach to survey data from eight European countries.