A study was launched in England on Tuesday to understand why female football players are much more likely to rupture their anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) than their male counterparts.
Co-funded by the players’ unions PFA and FIFPRO, Nike and Beckett University in Leeds, this investigation will observe the WSL (Women’s Super League), the English professional women’s championship, for three years. Research to date indicates that women are two to six times more likely to rupture their cruciate knees than men. The study will particularly focus on the facilities, sports and medical staff, travel conditions and schedules of WSL players.
“The players have rightly asked for more in-depth research into these Crusader injuries”, indicated the head of women’s football at FIFPRO Alex Culvin. “This project is a response to both their needs and those of the world of football,” he added.
“We need advanced research”
Several very big stars have been victims of this injury recently, including the English Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, top scorer of Euro-2022, who missed the World Cup-2023. The Spanish Ballon d’Or Alexia Putellas was only able to play a few minutes, after staying away from the field for a year for the same reason.
“We are not going to solve the Crusader injury problem in a jiffy. We need in-depth research to pinpoint the key factors”added England international defender Lucy Bronze, who studied anterior cruciate ligament injuries as part of her degree at Leeds Beckett University. “Players need to be more aware of the process by which ACL injuries occur”she added.
