Identification of Explanatory Variables in Possession of the Ball in High-Performance Women's Football

Abstract

Women's football is a phenomenon that is experiencing an unstoppable increase in recent years. The objective of this study was to analyze how ball possessions are performed in high-performance women's football. For this, the 52 matches played by all the national teams participating in the Women's World Cup 2015 were analyzed. A total of 3740 ball possessions were examined. Using the 'move outcome' variable as a reference criterion, a statistically significant relationship was found between possessions that ended in success and possessions that have failed. Specifically, the successful possessions were those that were made in the offensive zone, with a clear intention to progress towards the rival goal, with a low number of passes, and made in the second half of the matches. The results of the logistic regression showed that the proposed model is statistically sig- nificant, with an acceptable explanatory capacity. Finally, the results of the decision tree evidence the success of those possessions aiming at a quick completion, with very few passes and the offensive zone as a priority area for the possession.