The rise in women’s ACL injuries needs to be addressed as Leah Williamson misses the World Cup

In the wake of news that England captain Leah Williamson will miss this summer’s World Cup with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, the question we’re all asking is how much more? How many more stars of the women’s game have to take this brutal injury at their peak before anything is done.

What started as a crisis has turned into an epidemic. The phrase “more research” is repeated every time a new ACL tear is confirmed. But is that an easy way out? Yes, more research is needed – but what do clubs actually do? What do governing bodies do?

We know that Chelsea have been using Orreco’s FitrWoman app to track their players’ menstrual cycles in an effort to reduce their susceptibility to soft tissue injuries, including ACLs. Since 2018, only two Chelsea players have torn their ACL: Maren Mjelde and Lucy Watson, who was on loan at Charlton at the time.

However, we are warned that there is conflicting information about hormones and injuries. What is known is that joint stability can be compromised when estrogen is elevated in the menstrual cycle, which usually happens in the second week. But researchers say it’s not clear whether this actually increases the risk of injury for female players.

While we can’t say for sure that Chelsea’s work around menstruation is the reason they’ve had fewer ACL injuries than some clubs, it’s clear they’re working to reduce potential risk factors.

But what about others? Williamson is the third Arsenal player to suffer an ACL from this injury and the fourth in two years.

Jonas Eidevall was critical of the pitch at Leigh Sports Village where Williamson suffered the injury, but Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema both tore their ACLs at the Emirates.

In October 2020, former Arsenal boss Joe Montemurro said the club was conducting a ‘massive’ internal review after seven first-team stars were sidelined with injury. Two and a half years later and here they are again.

Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Kim Little, Caitlin Foord, Lina Hurtig and Williamson were all injured ahead of the Champions League quarter-final in Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Injuries are a natural part of football and some are due to bad luck. Eidevall said the club has a continuous process of checking injuries, but admitted they also need to look inward.

“We as a club have to look at the factors we can control and be the best we can be,” said Eidevall. “We don’t bury our heads in the sand and don’t just blame all external factors. We have to look inward and first see what we can change and do that.’

Manufacturers of sportswear also have a role to play. Many football boots do not take into account that women’s feet are shaped differently than men’s, meaning that female players can wear ill-fitting boots that can increase the risk of injury. Women also run in a different way than men, but studs are designed around masculine movements.

With so many stars signed up to the biggest brands, what are they doing to protect their players and give them the best possible chance of avoiding injury?

And what about FIFA? With the women’s game still early in its transition to professionalism, top level players are facing an increased strain of matches that their bodies are likely not prepared for. FIFA’s solution seems to be to add more games. T

The lower ranked countries need more matches, but those at the top play too much. It’s the same problem in Women’s Super League and maybe there is no simple or easy solution.

England coach Sarina Wiegman said late last year that FIFA, UEFA and federations around the world “must do something” to address the rising number of ACL injuries. After her captain became the latest victim, those words have never felt more important.

LEVY’S ALLEGED SEARCH FOR NO RISK LEAGUE

Daniel Levy reportedly wants the Women’s Super League to be a closed shop, with no promotion and no relegation. Such a system would, unsurprisingly, benefit Tottenham – who themselves are not yet safe from relegation.

But Levy isn’t the only one who has floated the idea of ​​a closed store. Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said English football must remain “open” to the idea of ​​a franchise league, based on the US model. But this is English football, not football. It’s a different culture.

The American league works because of their draft system – it keeps the league competitive. You couldn’t imitate that in England. The best players still go to the clubs that pay the most money and teams outside the top four have little to play for.

Would clubs really be motivated to invest more if they knew they were going to stay in the league anyway? And what about those further down the pyramid – such as Newcastle, Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Burnley – who all have ambitions to compete in the WSL.

Where would that leave them? We don’t have to replicate everything in the men’s game, but some things – like promotion and relegation – should be a given.

DAZN’S ‘PITIFUL’ STREAMING DOES NOT IMPRESS

Fans watching the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona were stunned when DAZN’s stream suddenly switched to live coverage of Fulham v Leeds as the match was about to get underway.

Power returned to the game at Stamford Bridge relatively quickly, but supporters were unimpressed. For the past two seasons, all 61 matches in the league have been free to watch on DAZN’s YouTube channel, but next year only 19 matches will be streamed for free, while fans will have to pay for the others.

One viewer tweeted: ‘This DAZN coverage is pathetic my word…why am I suddenly watching Fulham Leeds? Why are the commentators suddenly talking and then not? If they want people to pay for this next year, they should raise their level, because this is quite embarrassing.’

WRONG PENALTY CALLS IMPORTANT TO IMPROVEMENT

Reading manager Kelly Chambers said the level of performance in the WSL is ‘not good enough’ after her side conceded a controversial penalty in their 3-2 defeat to Everton. Reading were 2–1 up when referee Louise Saunders pointed to the spot for a foul on Diane Caldwell’s Jess Park.

Chambers is right, it wasn’t a penalty. Caldwell won the ball. But it was no worse than the penalty Reading awarded themselves to go 1-0 up in the first minute. Charlie Wellings fell to the ground after kicking in the air when she went to shoot.

There was no contact from Everton’s Lucy Hope, who was behind her, but a penalty was awarded. Both were bad decisions and once again emphasized the need for improvements.