The Relationship Between Functional Movement Screen Scores and Sports Performance in Elite Women’s Soccer Players

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between functional movement screen (FMS) individual scores and sports performance variables in elite women’s soccer players. Twenty elite women’s soccer players (age: 22.01 ± 3.64) took part in the study. Players were screened using the FMS protocol with seven movement patterns: deep overhead squat (DS), hurdle step left (HS L) and right (HS R), in-line lunge left (ILL L) and right (ILL R), shoulder mobility left (SM L) and right (SM R), active straight leg raise left (ASLR L) and right (ASLR R), trunk stability push-up (TSPU) and rotary stability (RS) and three tests of vertical jumps: the squat jump, countermovement jump and countermovement jump with arms, speed on the 20m and slalom and zig zag test. The results showed negative correlations between the 10m sprint and HSL L (p < 0.001, r = 0.587), HS R (p < 0.001, r = 0.566) and ASLR R (p < 0.001, r = 0.667) and between the Slalom test and ILL R (p < 0.005, r = 0.461) and ASLR L (p < 0.005, r = 0.454). This study found little evidence of the relationship between FMS results and predictors of sports performance in elite women’s soccer players. Strength and conditioning coaches may use these indicators as an assessment of the weakness of certain movements or muscle imbalance as one of the methods for correcting certain segments of sports performance which can later help them achieve better results on the field.