Women’s football: An integrative literature review

Citation

Valenti M, Scelles N & Morrow S (2017) Women’s football: An integrative literature review. EURAM 2017, Glasgow, 21.06.2017-24.06.2017. http://2017.euramfullpaper.org/program/papers.asp

Abstract
International governing bodies of football are in the process of increasing funds for the development of women’s football which is growing in popularity worldwide. This emphasis is also evident in the academic literature where the number of published papers on the topic has increased in the last five years. However, to date there have been no attempts to review and evaluate scholarly contributions in this area. This study aims to conduct an integrative review of women’s football literature and to depict a comprehensive analysis of studies from different disciplines. Following Whittemore and Knalf’s (2005) five-step process, 103 articles have been identified for review. Findings highlight that the majority of research has been conducted in the fields of history and sociology while fewer contributions are present in the economics, managerial and marketing areas. An integrated model involving 11 key factors is presented as an approach that may be utilised to further examine women’s football from an economic and managerial perspective.

Keywords
Development; women; football