Analogical and Diversification of Anthropometric and Motor Performance Characteristics among Female Universities Soccer Players in Ghana

Abstract

There are uneven academic sports policies and sociocultural diversities in Ghana. While academic sports policies and sociocultural diversities often call for acclimatization of athletes, scarce research on the analogical and diversification anthropometric and motor performance characteristics restricts decision-making policy on female soccer participation. This study presents the analogical and diversifications of the anthropometric and motor performance characteristics among the university female soccer athletes. The cross-sectional study had 44 female athletes from topmost universities with mean age of 21.54±1.79 years and playing experience of 6.75±1.51 years. Leg length, thigh girth, calf girth, upper arm length, forearm length, upper arm girth, chest girth, finger span, speed, leg power, abdominal strength, agility, flexibility, upper body strength, distant kick, dribbling, and accuracy were measured, compared among institutions, and with international normative values (INV). There was no significant difference in all characteristics except abdominal strength (P = .000), distant kick (P = .009), thigh girth (P = .003), and calf girth (P = .002). When compared to INV, there was significant difference in all characteristics except the upper arm length (p= .587), forearm length (p= .734), and agility (p= .479). This study suggests that female soccer players in all the topmost universities in Ghana are equally good sports potentials for national recruitment.