Developmental pathways and practice activity profiles of women’s football players in Brazil

Abstract

This study analysed the football activities undertaken throughout the developmental pathways of women’s players in Brazil. Eighty players (mean age = 21.0 ± 4.0 years) from clubs certified by the Brazilian Football Confederation completed a partial version of the Participation History Questionnaire (PHQ). Players accumulated most hours in non-coach-led play (NCLP: 617.1 ± 592.7), followed by individual practice (IP: 317.5 ± 483.4), coach-led practice (CLP: 215.9 ± 123.2), and match play (MP: 21.5 ± 21.3). CLP increased from age 12 and MP from age 13, whereas NCLP and IP declined after ages 15 and 17. Correlations between accumulated practice hours and match minutes during the season were null or low. These findings illustrate the predominance of informal environments during childhood and a gradual shift towards structured training during adolescence, within a context marked by uneven access to competitive opportunities. The results suggest that long-term developmental histories may offer more meaningful insights into how players progress through the system than short-term indicators such as match participation. The study contributes to a growing body of evidence on the specificities of athlete development in women’s football, highlighting structural constraints, contextual variability, and the need to consider broader developmental pathways in talent development discussions.