INTRODUCTION: Although the risk of injury in soccer is multifactorial, the lower-limb strength, anterior-posterior balance and inter-limb asymmetries should be monitored for both performance and injury prevention purposes. Soccer players have shown differences in strength between the dominant and non-dominant limbs, which may be due to the technical elements performed during the games and training. Therefore, this study examined the lower-limb strength, bilateral and ipsilateral asymmetries in professional and Under-17 female soccer players. METHODS: Thirty-seven players (professional =19, Under-17= 18) volunteered to participate in this study. The isokinetic knee strength and asymmetries were assessed utilizing the Humac Norm and Rehabilitation device. Testing included three maximal concentric flexion and extension repetitions at an angle speed of 60°/s. RESULTS: Professional female soccer players exhibited significantly greater strength levels for the left quadriceps [t(35)=2.39, d=0.79, p<0.05] and both left [t(35)=2.74, d=0.90, p<0.05] and right [t(35)=3.87, d=1.28, p<0.05] hamstring muscles. Concurrently, the right leg ratio [t(35)=2.76, d=0.92, p<0.05] was significantly greater for the professional compared to Under-17 players. Lastly, professional players demonstrated significantly greater bilateral imbalances [t(35)=3.13, d=1.04, p<0.05] for the quadriceps muscle group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that professional female soccer players demonstrate greater imbalances than Under-17 players, which may be attributed to the longitudinal effects of high-level soccer. Conclusively, soccer practice and competition at the professional level may induce greater lower limb asymmetries. Therefore, the isokinetic parameters can be useful for planning strength and conditioning interventions during the pre-season and in-season periods in order to reduce or prevent those imbalances.
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