Football in Australia reports the highest participation for under 18s. Its growing popularity has prompted a greater understanding of developing youth players in several areas including tactical performance, however limited research exists for an understanding of tactical performance in females, particularly across youth age groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sex, age and playing position (defender, midfielder, forward) on tactical performance. This cross-sectional between-group study had participants complete a 3v3 small-sided game and used the System of Tactical Assessment in Football (FUT-SAT) tool to measure tactical performance of state-elite males (n=48) and females (n=46) across four age cohorts (U13, U14, U15, U16/19). A tactical performance index (TPI) score was generated for each participant and three Generalised Linear Models (GLM) were produced for overall game, offensive and defensive TPI score. No differences were reported for overall game TPI. Offensive TPI GLM reported higher scores for forwards over midfielders, and for males over females, irrespective of age. Defensive TPI GLM reported higher TPI scores for defenders over both midfielders and forwards, and lower scores for male U15s over other cohorts. The results demonstrate differences in tactical capability across sex, age and playing position.
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