Turning and Turbulence: A Comparative Study of Agility and Fluid Mechanics in Men’s and Women’s Soccer

Abstract

Female soccer players demonstrate high levels of agility but remain underrepresented in research and experience anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears two to eight times more frequently than their male counterparts [1]. These injuries are often associated with high-torsion movements at the knee, such as quick change-of-direction maneuvers in soccer [2]. To examine gender-based differences in agility, this study introduces an in-game metric based on change-of-direction speeds, derived from center-ofmass tracking data from the 2022 Men’s and 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cups. Results show that across positions, ball proximity, and game segments, female athletes tend to change direction both faster and more frequently than male athletes—supporting current injury hypotheses and informing gender-specific cleat design considerations. Beyond individual movement, this study also examines collective team behavior through a fluid mechanics lens. No significant gender differences were found in power spectral densities or second-order structure functions, suggesting symmetry in the underlying coordination dynamics. A direct cascade was observed in the 0–15m range, indicating a consistent transfer of energy across spatial scales. Team dispersion and the Area-Dominant Spread Index correlated with structure function slopes, bridging spatial metrics with turbulence-based models of group behavior.