Monitoring fatigue and performance is important for adjusting training loads in soccer. Therefore, knowing the status of the player when applying a training stimulus is key to optimizing the players’ development. This study aims to evaluate the interaction between internal and external load, during training and matches, in an elite youth soccer team. Methods: seventeen youth players of the highest Spanish category were monitored with GPS devices during training and matches, as well as recording their nocturnal heart rate variability (HRV). We employed a linear mixed model to assess the physical demands between training and matches, and to compare the HRV variables. Results: a higher total distance (+2993.35–5746.56 m; ES = 1.4), distance at high intensity (+641.24–1907 m; ES = 1.5), sprint distance (+350.46–795.05 m; ES = 2.1), number of sprints (+18.38–41.58; ES = 1.9), and number of repeated sprints (+5.91–15.30; ES = 1.7) (all p < 0.001), but not in the number of accelerations, were reported during the matches when compared to the training sessions during the 11 weeks. The analysis of the HRV variables showed no significant differences between the accumulated values during a training week, providing similar results pre-match or post-match (p > 0.05). The LF/HF_RATIO showed a negative influence on the total distance ran, distance at high intensity, distance in sprint, number of sprints, and repeated sprint. RR_MEAN was positively related to the sprint number. Conclusion: the results of the present study suggest that nocturnal HRV variables are not different between pre-match and post-match. Furthermore, it suggests that LF/HF_RATIO and RR_MEAN during pre-match can determine the external load that the player will be able to complete during the match.

The aims of this study were to analyze the differences of physical demands of non-starter players regarding the playing time during the competition and to evaluate the physical demands of the compensatory training (MD + 1C) for substitute players in elite football. The match statistics and MD + 1C of substitute players from a professional Spanish LaLiga football club were analyzed using a 10-Hz global positioning system (GPS) Apex GPS system device, which has been validated as a reliable and valid method to analyze performance in team sports, during all games of the 2016/2017, 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons. The starting players showed both lower total distances covered and high-intensity actions compared to the substitutes. Regarding the minutes played by the substitutes, greater physical performance was found for the players with fewer minutes (5–15 min). Furthermore, no differences were found between first and second divisions regarding physical performance of substitutes (p > 0.05). This study highlights the importance of individualizing the workload of training sessions for substitutes and starters. Furthermore, the complementary session should be individualized according to the minutes played by the substitutes. These players are potentially under-loaded compared to starters, especially in terms of high-intensity actions, therefore additional session-specific training for each substitute would be useful to reach the optimal training load according to the minutes played during the game.

The pace of women’s access to leadership positions is very different from country to country. With 69.4 out of 100 points, Spain ranks fourth in the European Union (EU) on social power, first measured in the 2020 edition of the Gender Equality Index. However, a need of deepening the reasons for gender inequalities remains. The Women As Managers Scale (WAMS) is a useful tool that allows for the measurement of the attitudinal factors that hinder access to managerial positions. The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the WAMS among sport managers through three factors: acceptance of women in key positions, features for business success, and barriers to access to managerial positions. For that purpose, a questionnaire—as is the original WAMS—was distributed to 401 managers working within sports organizations in the community of Madrid, Spain. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Student’s test were performed to analyze the stability of the scores. The internal consistency of the scales was assessed through Cronbach’s alpha, the Homogeneity Index, and Discriminability Index. The construct validity was completed through exploratory factor analysis using principal components. The results show that the WAMS serves as a reference for use as a measure of attitudinal factors that hinder access to an executive position. Therefore, this work generates an instrument with adequate properties in the Spanish context.