Women's Football Hub

Wearable technology has transformed modern sport. GPS vests, smartwatches, heart rate monitors, sleep trackers and menstrual cycle apps have become increasingly common across all levels of athletics. From elite football clubs to grassroots players training for their next season, data is now everywhere.

But while wearable technology promises better performance, improved recovery and more informed decision-making, an important question remains:

Are we becoming so focused on the data that we risk forgetting the person behind it?

In a recent episode of the Women’s Football Hub Podcast, I spoke with Dr Paul Bowell, a lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology and a researcher specialising in sport technology, gender and athlete experiences. His work sheds light on how female athletes experience wearable technologies and highlights some important lessons for coaches, practitioners and players alike.

The Rise of Athlete Tracking

Wearables are often discussed in terms of performance. Clubs and coaches use GPS systems to measure distance covered, sprint efforts and workload. Athletes use smartwatches to track running sessions, sleep quality and recovery.

On the surface, this sounds overwhelmingly positive.

The goal is usually to improve performance, reduce injury risk and provide athletes with objective feedback. In rehabilitation settings, athlete tracking can be especially valuable. Data allows practitioners to compare current performance levels with pre-injury benchmarks, helping players return to sport with greater confidence.

For many athletes, wearable technology also creates a sense of professionalism.

Dr Bowell’s research with athletes in Australia’s AFLW highlighted how the use of elite technology can help athletes feel recognised and valued within a professional sporting environment. For players who may have spent years competing in under-resourced systems, access to performance technology can reinforce a sense of belonging and legitimacy.

However, that is only part of the story.

When Technology Doesn’t Fit

One of the most striking areas discussed during the podcast was the practical challenge of wearable design for female athletes.

Many tracking systems were originally designed around male athletes. In some cases, female athletes are still required to wear technology housed in equipment that does not fit properly.

Athletes in Dr Bowell’s research described wearing GPS harnesses designed for men over sports bras during training and matches. Poor fit can lead to discomfort and inaccurate data collection, but perhaps more importantly, it can affect athlete confidence.

Imagine being told your performance data is poor when the equipment itself is failing to collect information accurately.

For experienced athletes, it may be easier to recognise when a technology issue is creating false results. For younger or less experienced players, the experience can feel very different. Instead of questioning the equipment, they may question themselves.

That psychological impact is something we rarely discuss.

The Hidden Psychological Cost of Data

One of the strongest themes from our conversation was the power that athletes give to numbers.

Many of us have experienced this ourselves. We complete a run and immediately check our pace, distance and heart rate. Sometimes the data confirms how we felt. Other times it completely changes our perception of the session.

Dr Bowell highlighted how athletes often struggle when data appears to contradict their own experiences. Some athletes become heavily influenced by performance metrics, trusting the numbers more than their own understanding of how they feel.

This can be particularly challenging when context is missing.

An athlete may be dealing with poor sleep, work stress, family responsibilities, illness, menstrual symptoms or emotional challenges. The data sheet rarely captures these factors.

Yet when reports are presented, athletes may simply see themselves highlighted in red at the bottom of a list.

The reasons behind the numbers disappear.

The athlete becomes the number.

Context Matters

Data without context can be misleading.

Athletes do not exist in a vacuum.

Many female athletes continue to balance sport alongside employment, education and family responsibilities. Unlike fully professional environments where recovery, nutrition and training can be prioritised daily, many athletes are juggling multiple demands.

A poor training session could be influenced by a demanding work shift, disrupted sleep, childcare responsibilities or personal stress.

The numbers may indicate underperformance.

The reality may tell a completely different story.

As practitioners, we must resist the temptation to view data as absolute truth. Performance metrics provide valuable information, but they represent only one piece of a much larger picture.

Menstrual Tracking: Valuable Data or Missed Opportunity?

The conversation also explored menstrual cycle tracking, a topic that continues to generate significant debate within women’s sport.

There is growing recognition that menstrual health matters. Many athletes track their cycles and view this information as an important component of training, recovery and general wellbeing.

However, collecting data and using data effectively are not the same thing.

One concern raised by Dr Bowell’s research was that some organisations collect menstrual data without having clear systems in place to interpret or act upon it.

Athletes may provide detailed information while receiving little meaningful feedback or support in return.

Even more concerning is the potential for stereotypes to emerge.

Rather than using menstrual information to better understand athlete needs, some environments risk reducing athletes to simplistic assumptions based on their cycle stage.

This approach not only undermines athlete welfare but also reinforces outdated beliefs about female athletes.

Collecting data carries responsibility. If organisations choose to measure something, they must be prepared to understand it and use it appropriately.

Who Owns Athlete Data?

Data privacy remains another critical issue.

Many athletes share vast amounts of personal information through wearable devices, training platforms and health tracking applications. Yet relatively few fully understand who ultimately owns that information or how it may be used.

Questions around data security, commercial use and informed consent are becoming increasingly important.

This is particularly relevant when discussing menstrual tracking, health information and other forms of sensitive personal data.

Athletes should understand what information is being collected, who has access to it, how it is stored and whether it may be shared with third parties.

Transparency is essential.

Trust depends on it.

The Most Important Lesson

Perhaps the most powerful takeaway from the episode was Dr Bowell’s reminder that wearable technology is simply a tool.

It is neither inherently good nor inherently bad.

Used well, technology can support performance, aid recovery, enhance self-awareness and improve athlete care.

Used poorly, it can increase anxiety, reinforce unhealthy behaviours and encourage athletes to ignore their own physical and emotional experiences.

The best practitioners understand that performance data should complement human judgement, not replace it.

Athletes need to learn how to interpret data while also maintaining confidence in their own understanding of their bodies.

Because at the end of the day, a spreadsheet cannot tell you everything.

It cannot tell you how hard someone worked despite feeling exhausted.

It cannot tell you about the stress they carried into training.

It cannot tell you that they showed resilience, determination or courage.

It can only measure what it is programmed to measure.

The athlete remains far more complex than any wearable device will ever capture.

Final Thoughts

Wearable technology is likely to become even more integrated into women’s sport over the coming years. The challenge is ensuring that we use these tools in ways that genuinely support athletes rather than simply generating more data.

As coaches, practitioners and researchers, we must continue asking difficult questions about how these technologies are designed, implemented and interpreted.

Most importantly, we must remember that every data point represents a person.

And people are always more than numbers.

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#WomensFootball #FemaleAthletes #SportsScience #WearableTechnology #GPSTracking #AthleteMonitoring #WomenInSport #FootballDevelopment #SportsResearch #PlayerWelfare #SportsPerformance #MenstrualHealth #DataEthics #SportTechnology #WomenFootballHub

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This blog was created from the podcast with the assistance of AI, then fully checked and edited by the podcast host.