We’ve come this far, but we have further to go.
As an Englishman, I can’t help but fan out my peacock tail with pride and talk about our Lionesses team. They gave it all their mustard, even if Spain took them down in the end. The rollercoaster road to the final had more twists and turns than a rickety ride at Hamburg Dom.
A big one was the injuries haunting our key players. That’s going to have a wee bit of an impact, isn’t it?
This brings me to three horrible little letters — A.C.L.
Anterior cruciate ligament.
Injuries to this part of a player’s knee are somewhat of a behemothic buzzkill for all who love and play the sport. I myself stumbled upon this issue while digging into the women’s game.
We don’t call them Lionesses for fun.
These players are fierce warriors. But like Maximus’ final showdown with Commodus in ‘Gladiator’, we’ve been asking them to go to war on a puncture wound for decades.
Decades of grappling with these gnarly knee injuries. And without the right information or action to tackle the root of the problem. Or should I say the boot?
Up to 75% of women playing football at a grassroots level wear either men’s or children’s boots. This is due to a lack of women’s options.
And here’s the kicker…
Statistically, women are up to six times more likely to get hit with an ACL injury than guys. That is a travesty of biblical proportions.
We’re talking about rockstars like Leah Williamson, Megan Rapinoe, Marta, the two-time Ballon d’Or champ Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead, and Vivianne Miedema, who both missed the World Cup (by the way, is Meade’s partner and Arsenal teammate)… all having their feet taken out from beneath them by ACL injuries.
Enough is enough.
Why are our Lionesses having to deal with this nonsense?
PART of the cause is women’s pelvises being naturally wider. This messes with the angle between their femur and tibia bones, throwing off their whole knee joint while playing football at full pelt.
But like anything, we have to focus on what we can control.
We can control the boots they’re wearing. So we should probably have a good, stern look at those, shouldn’t we?
But that isn’t enough. We’ve gotta level up the industry big time. And let’s not kid ourselves, football is a beautiful game, but it is also an industry.
Money needs to be spent on research.
There’s no getting away from that. We need people much smarter and more informed than me to figure out what is causing these injuries. When we know all the angles of the scoop, we can make a decent plan. One that makes the prolific nature of these injuries hide under a rock forever.
While we’re at it, let’s address the elephant in the room.
Let’s face it, this is a product of bias. If these injuries were occurring at the same frequency, and intensity, in the men’s side of the sport… the sport would have cleaned up this mess a long time ago.
Men get all the attention. In sports science research, boot designs, and training routines. Even gym gear usage at clubs. Even the cub-like male junior teams get more love than the women most of the time.
Look at how far the Lionesses came in spite of all that. But now imagine how much further they can go when we ACTUALLY BLOODY BACK THEM.
While we’re here, remember how the England women’s team did all this without some of their key players? Well, the Spanish squad had their own troubles, too.
Some of the Spanish players missed the whole World Cup. Why? They too were suffering injuries which were a result of a lack of proper information, facilities, systems, and support. Some didn’t play in protest to these facts.
This is a gigantic speed bump in the road of progress when it comes to the growth of women’s football. It’s scaring off young girls who otherwise might aspire to be the next Beth Mead… or to play for their country, or even to one day inspire a young girl just like them.
While young girls’ minds are preoccupied with thoughts of injuries, after years of gruelling commitment and hard work… they aren’t going to be throwing themselves at a sport they otherwise might have.
Dare I say, if some of the legendary male footballing faces that have graced our screens over the decades face injuries as seemingly inevitable as this… we may never have known their names.
So, how about we all team up, and go at this, hard? Clients, clubs, brands, associations, and partners?
This is a meaty ole’ problem. But like any problem, it will have its solutions. Because even if we’re selfish for a second…
More healthy talent on the global stage means more excitement, more entertainment, and more eyeballs. It benefits everyone to solve this problem, even us fans. Let’s make the pitch a safer and stronger place for everyone, one goal at a time.
