Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the changes in subjective and objective variables related to the overtraining syndrome and correlation between these variables during a full season of female soccer league. Methods: Twelve female soccer players voluntarily participated in this study. In a longitudinal study design, cortisol concentrations and scores of the Société Française de Médicine du Sport questionnaire were measured at pre-, mid-, and post-season. In addition, resting heart rate, length of sleep and scores of Likert-type training logs including quality of sleep, tiredness sensation, training willingness, appetite, competitive willingness, and muscle soreness were recorded during seven consecutive days at pre-, mid-, and post-season. Results: The results showed a significant increase in cortisol levels from pre- to post-season (P = 0.009). A significant increment was also seen in scores of the SFMS questionnaire from pre- to mid-season (P = 0.009), mid- to post-season (P = 0.0001), and pre- to post-season (P = 0.0001). The SFMS-Q scores were 7.58, 10.8, and 21.08, at pre-, mid-, and post-season respectively. Likewise, the resting heart rate demonstrated a significant surge from pre- to mid-season (P = 0.006), mid- to post-season (P = 0.0001), and pre- to post-season (P = 0.0001). Moreover, the scores of all the Likert-type training logs were significantly decreased from pre- to post-season (P < 0.05). Conclusion: These results indicate a shift towards overtraining syndrome on the training-overtraining continuum in female soccer players during a full season. Besides, these findings accentuate the importance of concomitant use of both subjective and objective measures of the overtraining syndrome and that a longitudinal approach is essential to gain an accurate estimation of athletes` status in response to any alterations in the training load.
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