The fourth in-person meeting of the ECA Women’s High Performance Advisory Group is set to take place on 23-24 October 2023 at Paris Saint-Germain. This gathering marks another important milestone in the growth and development of women's football, guided by ECA's women's football strategy ‘Be A Changemaker’.
Under the leadership of Claire Bloomfield, ECA's Head of Women's Football, significant progress have been made in shaping the future of women's club football in Europe. She stated:
“We are committed to developing evidence-based approaches to training and rehabilitation and addressing the unique challenges faced by female players. This Group of practitioners working with women’s clubs in Europe plays a vital role in ensuring we deliver on this goal.
“We’re delighted to be heading to Paris Saint-Germain’s new state of the art training facility, which is certain to become a reference point for football clubs globally as they look to enhance their provisions for women’s teams."
The agenda for the next session in Paris will include the presentation of the first set of results from the ECA's Changemaker study, which explores hormonal profiles and the menstrual cycle in 15 elite women's football clubs. The study highlights the need for increased awareness and scientific understanding of menstrual cycles, menstrual dysfunction and hormonal contraceptives. While many players and coaching staff are engaging in menstrual cycle monitoring and phase-based training and nutrition, there is room for more evidence-based approaches and adapted practices in women's football to better reflect women's specific needs and health.
The high-profile speakers will include:
- Professor Kirsty Elliott-Sale: A world-renowned academic from Manchester Metropolitan University who has been leading ECA’s Changemaker study.
- Steven Sylvester: An esteemed consultant psychologist, who will share a fascinating case study analysis on dealing with panic and anxiety in football.
- Club Case Studies: The meeting will also feature a series of case studies presented by Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern München, and Arsenal FC in an exchange of knowledge and best practices.
Giving us an insight into the host's case study, Pauline Clavel, Club’s Performance Manager at Paris Saint-Germain, said:
“At Paris Saint-Germain, we are striving to implement new methodologies, particularly concerning the evaluation of the neuromuscular qualities of all our athletes. In our women's section, we want to develop the monitoring of neuromuscular qualities around two major subjects: calendar congestion and menstrual cycles. Through these two levers our aim is to prevent injuries, help with reathletisation and optimize the performance of our players."
Stay tuned across ECA’s social platforms for further updates and insights from the forthcoming ECA Women’s Advisory Group meeting in Paris.