What would football be adapted by sex

If something is demonstrating the Eurocup 2025 is that women’s football has more and more followers, something that has already been seen in the World Cup of 2023. The ‘king sport’ in its female version shakes stigmas, raises passions and feels thousands of people before the TV to follow the matches that are played in Switzerland; But also does something else: reopen old debatessuch as whether men and women should play with different norms and fields, adapted to their physical conditions.

A study has just suggested that debate with new data.

What happened? Than in full Women’s Eurocup The public company of Swiss broadcasting, SRF, has just published A study that the melon of the melons of football reopens: Should women and men compete in different fields, adapted to their different physical abilities? If a Spanish male (and the calculation is transferable to other nationalities) measures on average 14 centimeters and weighs 16.7 kilos more than its countrymen and those factors influence aspects such as The jumps either The speedWould you have to adapt the game conditions per sex?

METER AND KILOS QUESTION. The study SRF starts from an interesting premise: if we accept that women should perform more physically than men when playing in the same fields, how relevant is that extra effort? What would he mean for a male? The Swiss chain responds to both issues with a theoretical exercise: it has imagined what a pitch would be like if the men meet the level of demand that their companions now assume. Their conclusions are fascinating and affect such basic issues as the balls.

FIFA establishes that the regulatory balls must have a minimum weight of 410 grams and not exceed 450. As for the size, the circumference has to be between 68 and 70 cm. SRF’s study suggests that for men to play “under the same conditions” that women their balls should be much larger, with a circumference of 76 cm. “It would be the same size and weight as a basketball”, duck. And that is the first of many adaptations.

Gatestroads, fields and XXL areas. The report is based on the work of researchers from the University of Trondheim and answer some curious questions. For example, how great they would have to be The goals so that men face the same conditions as women? Starting from the base that on average players are higher than the players, the study concludes that their goals should be 0.55 m longer and 0.13 higher.

“An adequate goal would measure 8.4 m wide and 2.72 m high. Even a 1.9 m goalkeeper would have few possibilities for precise shots,” he concludes.

The same logic moves to the pitch. Right now the fields suitable for international competitions must move between 100-110 meters long and 64-75 wide, although the standard measurement of the majority of first fields is 105×68 m. “For a clean play in male football, the field would have to be bigger,” collect SRF: “20% larger: 132×84 m”.

More kilometers. The players would not only have to compete in more extensive fields with larger and more heavy balls. It would also have a lot more run. How much? According to the study, the most players would go through about 10 kilometers per game to cover between 12 and 13. In practice, Authors abound of the report, that equals much more play time and “enormous physical effort, both for resistance and physical condition” of athletes.

The same barriers? Another aspect that would vary if we redesigned the fields for men and women to face the same level of demand is that of barriers in cases of faults. Due to the size differences, the female are narrower and more low, so they cover a vertical angle of 10.4 degrees. In the case of men, 11.25 are reached. That affects the possibilities of a successful stop. “The chances of a successful free kick increase.”

The debate, served. Although SRF data is interesting, it is not the first time that the debate about whether women and men should compete with goals, fields and balls equal. In 2021 the University Campus of Football Business (UCFB) published An article in which he stressed that issue and recalled that different balls, networks or fences are already used in other sports depending on whether male or women compete. “Why don’t you do in football?” I left driving UCFB, a question that has arisen On more occasions In recent years.

“Any opinion that defends the change in the size of the goals is received with accusations of sexism, but there is an argument against: passively accepting the measures originally designed for the male game is a form of sexism in itself,” Reflect. “If the emotion is neglected and pure logic is pursued, the change in the size of the goals can improve the game.”

Would you favor or harm women? That is the key question. Despite the calculations disseminated by SRF, there are those who warn that applying ‘corrections’ for men and women to face the same degree of demand on the grass would harm the latter. The reason? Beyond the accusations of “sexism”, some voices warn that they would complicate the expansion of women’s football.

“It is already quite difficult to find a field to play! There are not enough teams with a budget to have its own field, so now they share it with the masculine. Are you going to measure the land on Saturday for the male match and change all the measures then for Sunday’s female meeting?” warns The player Rachael Yankey In an interview with UCFB.

Images | James Boyes (Flickr) 1 and 2

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