Female footballers are two to six times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than their male counterparts. To address this disparity, the Football Association and the Women’s Super League have launched a comprehensive research project involving players and staff from every club across the WSL and WSL2.
A League-Wide Effort to Combat ACL Injuries
The study aims to pinpoint the causes of these career-altering ruptures and develop effective reduction strategies. High-profile players including Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead, Leah Williamson, and Sam Kerr have all ruptured their ACLs in recent years, highlighting the urgency of the investigation.
Expert Collaboration and Methodology
The initiative is a collaboration with Imperial College London and sports knee surgeon Simon Ball. Researcher Hanna Lehtovirta will lead the PhD study, which is funded by the Football Association.
The FA, WSL Football and Imperial College London have teamed up to launch new research that they hope will lead to a better understanding of why ACL injuries occur in women's football. #barclaysWSL
— https://x.com/TomJGarry/status/2118282773358395613
The project is structured in two distinct phases. Initially, researchers will conduct player surveys to collect data on injury history, match and training loads, and hormonal, nutritional, and psychological factors. This phase will compare data from players who have suffered ACL injuries since the 2018-19 season against those who have not.
The second phase will consist of interviews with players, medical staff, and coaches to assess current approaches to injury prevention and rehabilitation. By combining scientific data with the experiences of those in the professional game, the researchers hope to shape future player welfare strategies.
The FA & WSL Football have announced a new research project, in collaboration with Imperial College London and surgeon Simon Ball, to better understand why ACL injuries occur in women's football. All clubs in WSL and WSL 2 invited to take part in the research and data collection.
— https://x.com/em_sandy/status/2118282184050061449
A Growing Focus on Player Welfare
These injuries are among the most serious in the sport, typically requiring a recovery period of at least 6-9 months and often resulting in players missing major tournaments. The impact is clear: after leading England to success in 2022, Leah Williamson missed the 2023 World Cup due to an ACL rupture.
Others have managed to return to the pinnacle of the sport. Alexia Putellas, who claimed the Ballon d’Or in 2021, 2022, and for a third time, returned to the highest level of competition following her own recovery from an ACL injury.
This work follows a separate announcement from April 2025, when FIFA began funding research into whether hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles contribute to the rise in ACL injuries within the women’s game.
The @FA and @BarclaysWSL have launched a major research project to better understand why anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur in women's football and identify ways to reduce them. We have 8 confirmed ACL absences currently listed on the @PremierInjuries WSL table.…
— https://x.com/BenDinnery/status/2118327061760602385
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