EWJ June 61 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 47
got a lighter woman in them and they're getting anchored to
the ground by them”.
39 Where a Player is deemed to have suffered a Long Term
Injury, the Club shall be entitled to terminate this Contract by
giving 3 months written notice to the Player (the "Notice Period"). The Club may serve notice at any time after the date on
which the Player is declared to be suffering a Long Term
Injury by the Medical Consultant.”
Some brands have finally got the message and started
to design football boots for women. Nike is leading the
way with the Phantom Luna Elite, claiming that this is
the most innovative and evidence-driven female boot
design to date. The boot has three key aims: eliminate
preventable pain points, improve on-pitch performance and reduce the risk of major injuries.
Thankfully, this has recently changed. The FA and
PFA have agreed new benefits pertaining to injury, illness and long-term sickness which came into effect
from the start of the 2022 season to mirror those in
the men’s game.
While there is currently no evidence to suggest that
the level of support provided by these boots will make
a difference when mitigating ACL injuries, new models can certainly measure ACL loads at different points
in time.
Significantly, the period relating to contract termination has increased from three to 12 months. There are
also new uplifts to maternity leave and pay.
Scheduling and fixtures
Others point to the explosion in the popularity of
women’s football and the consequential growth in the
fixture schedule as the cause of so many ACL injuries
by increasing the demands on players’ bodies.
Pitch quality
WSL teams are often allocated artificial pitches or
academy pitches to both train and play fixtures on.
This has been identified as an area of concern for
many, including by Braun, Waterlain and Dragoo
(2013), who suggest that friction increases when playing on synthetic surfaces, resulting in an increased rate
of injury for the lower extremities (like legs, knees,
ankles and feet).
The gruelling run of major tournaments in recent
years has included a pandemic-delayed Olympics in
2021, a European Championship shifted back by 12
months for the same reason in 2022, the Women’s
World Cup in 2023 and the Paris Olympics in 2024
— all on top of the WSL and Champions League
fixtures. It seems that players aren’t going to be able
to rest any time soon with the 2025 European
Championships kicking off in July 2025.
In 2019, FIFA announced that both women’s and
men’s football are to be played using the same surfaces
and field parameters. Natural grass fields were a requirement for the first time at the 2023 Women’s
World Cup.
With the likes of Sam Kerr racking up an astonishing
3,411 minutes of action during the 22/23 season across
all competitions, it’s unsurprising that players are
suffering injuries.
Nevertheless, there is still a disparity between the
facilities accessible by men and women. In January
2023, we were still seeing WSL games being called off
due to frozen pitches — a problem that is almost nonexistent in the Premier League given that it’s
compulsory for clubs to have undersoil heating.
Terms of employment
Injuries like ACL tears can be career ending — and
access to the best facilities and care is essential for players to make a return to the physical demands of football at the highest levels.
Manchester United and Manchester City have
recognised this void in facilities and committed significant funds to combat the disparity. Manchester
United Women recently moved into a new £7m training facility while Manchester City Women have submitted plans for a £10m purpose-built training facility.
With ACL injuries usually resulting in at least nine
months off the pitch, players have often been prevented from accessing the state-of-the-art medical
treatment and rehabilitation services provided by
clubs due to their terms of employment.
The Government has also recently announced a £30m
investment to build approximately 30 new state-ofthe-art pitches and accompanying facilities, designed
to prioritise women’s teams across England.
Female footballers have historically been employed by
clubs on far less favourable contractual terms than
their male counterparts. Many of the first WSL contracts contained a clause that allowed clubs to terminate players’ employment if they were unable to train
or play games for over three months.
Below is an extract taken from a 2018 standard form
contract:
Hormonal fluctuations
Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle
have been identified as another potential factor contributing to the high incidence of ACL injuries in
women’s football.
“TERMINATION FOR LONG TERM INJURY
38 If a Player is unable through injury or illness to train or
play for the Club for a consecutive period of 3 months in the
written opinion of an appropriately qualified medical consultant instructed by the Club (the "Medical Consultant"), the
Player shall be deemed to have suffered a "Long Term Injury".
Each provision set out below shall apply unless the parties
agree a more beneficial provision in substitution for the
original provision.
Existing research suggests that variations in oestrogen
and progesterone levels can potentially increase the
risk of injury. In particular, oestrogen — which peaks
during the ovulatory phase — has been associated
with increased ligament laxity, making the ACL more
susceptible to tears. Further, progesterone — which
rises during the luteal phase — can impact neuromuscular response times, potentially leading to compromised joint stability. These hormonal changes may
EXPERT WITNESS JOURNAL
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JUNE 2025
