Objective: The aim of the present study is to investigate the key factors influencing the work performance of professional female handball players, with a focus on sporting performance. Our research is part of a larger project by Andolšek et al. (2023), which aims to investigate the impact of sleep and well-being factors on individual work performance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of play during handball matches and to assess how selected well-being factors influence competitive performance. The study involved monitoring female athletes during three European Champions League matches in the 2022–2023 season and collecting data over a three-week period. Sleep and fitness data were collected using Oura smart rings (Oura Ring 3rd generation, Oura Health Oy, Oulu, Finland), while player performance ratings were provided by three professional handball coaches with the highest level of training in handball. The female athletes' playing quality was assessed with a mean score of 2.767 on a five-point scale (standard deviation = 0.449), and the expert ratings showed moderate reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.796). The final conclusion is that the results show no statistically significant association between well-being factors and playing quality (p = 0.192). This study adds insight into the well-being factors that influence athletes' quality of play but suggests that other factors are more important for improving the quality of play in professional handball. The main limitation of the study is that the follow-up time for quality of play was too short due to objective reasons, given the relatively small sample size of the athletes monitored.
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