Yorkshire university aiding ACL research

ENGLAND defender Lucy Bronze has welcomed a groundbreaking new study that aims to understand the widespread occurrence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in professional women’s football.

Project ACL is a joint initiative by FIFPRO, Leeds Beckett University, the Professional Footballers’ Association and Nike, who are all providing expertise and funding.

Some reports have suggested ACL injuries are two to six times more likely to occur in women than men, with only six per cent of scientific literature devoted to female athletes, despite some of the game’s top talents like Beth Mead, Leah Williamson, Sam Kerr and Vivianne Miedema missing significant recent spells with the problem.

The partners hope their threeyear project, focused on players in England’s Women’s Super League, will result in findings around best practice that can be implemented worldwide, while there are also ambitions to use the WSL as a pilot and eventually expand research to other leagues.

Bronze, pictured, said: “It’s really important. We need to start finetuning the information that we’re putting out. There’s just so much talk and lot of wrong information that gets put out.

“There isn’t a quick fix to eradicating ACL injuries in women’s football. We need to do this finelytuned research so that we can (pinpoint) the key factors and focus points. The players need to be more clear on the process of why it happens, what you can do to reduce the risk and not just changing your football boots or what socks you wear.

“It’s important the right information is being put out there, both for players and their support system, clubs, and for the game in general.”

Fern Whelan, an exBrighton defender who is now the equality, diversity, and inclusion women’s football executive at the PFA, said: “It’s really a concern (for players) and a frustration, potentially, that more isn’t done.

“You hear the players say, ‘If this was the men’s game, it would be very different. Things would be done sooner’. It’s something that crops up a lot, having conversations within squads.

“Players have called for research, so I think it’s our duty to respond to that. It’s a player welfare issue.”