Either way it is important not to be alarmed by what appears to be an explosion of ACL injuries in famous players and instead begin to critically examine the circumstances in which such injuries occur.
Existing scientific research on female soccer players does not offer a large database. But establishing common causes and points is only half the problem and doesn’t explain everything. We cannot say without a doubt that there are more or less ACL injuries in women’s soccer today. The data is not conclusive. But what can we say: There’s a massive lack of research. Not only that, but there is also a lack of implementation of the research that has been done, and a lack of regulation around best practice guidelines.
Yes, there are probably some protocols. But some questions have to be asked: are the clubs implementing them? Are they regulated? Do federations really understand the complexity of the problem and consequently push this agenda to protect the health and integrity of football players?
The question for me is not: are there more or fewer ACL injuries today? Instead the question should be: what are the conditions under which they occur? Consistency is not the only problem: there is a lack of understanding of how it happens, why it happens, and how we can best protect the wellbeing of female footballers.
There needs to be a concerted, constructive and multi-stakeholder approach to address this important and serious issue. This has implications for many parties: from UEFA and FIFA to footballers, clubs and leagues, all parties with a stake in sport and therefore our current isolated approach to this issue must end.
It is equally important to recognize that there are occupational implications regarding ACL injuries. We advocate for greater investment in female players, through better working conditions, to ensure sustainable economic growth for the sport, but at the same time, we repeatedly lack the best female players on the pitch, especially at peak moments During, that’s what the game can offer. And it also affects our ability to continue to take advantage of the growing popularity of our sport and the popularity of female players.
Football is a short and uncertain career and if a player has to lose a significant proportion of their career due to a preventable injury – in some cases – it could mean they miss a crucial moment where they can use their talent and visibility. Can get maximum benefit. It would be a blow for Nike if one of its star athletes, Leah Williamson, does not lead England in the Women’s World Cup, the biggest women’s sporting event in the world. He loses the same as any other entity investing in the tournament.
