Venue and Sex Effects in Icelandic Domestic Soccer

Sex, venue, and league level influence soccer performance according to previous research. The purpose of this investigation was to analyse the effects of sex, level, and venue on Icelandic league soccer and determine performance indicators associated with match outcome.

A retrospective observational study used data from 1,244 matches: 484 from the men’s top tier, 331 from the women’s top tier, 379 from the men’s second tier, and 50 from the women’s second tier. Nonparametric tests compared match statistics between sexes, divisions, and home and away performances. Match outcome was modelled using match statistics for the home and away teams, sex, and league level.

The percentage of successful passes was significantly greater in men’s matches than women’s matches (p < 0.001) and significantly greater in the top-tier divisions for both men (p < 0.001) and women (p = 0.001). The chance of a positive match outcome increased with the number of shots taken and the percentage of shots on target. However, the chance of a home win was negatively associated with the number of passes played by the home team.

The greater passing accuracy in men’s matches may be explained by physical and technical differences between male and female players. The higher passing accuracy in top-tier divisions may also be due to the greater technical ability of top-tier players.

The negative association between passes played and positive match outcome suggests that a shorter possession style is more successful in Icelandic domestic soccer.