Researchers at Imperial College London will work alongside The FA and WSL Football to investigate why ACL injuries occur in the women's game. The project, led by PhD researcher Hanna Lehtovirta, aims to generate practical insights to help reduce the incidence of these serious injuries, which can significantly impact players' careers and team performance.
The study will combine scientific data with the lived experiences of players and staff in professional football. This approach moves beyond previous research, which often examined risk factors in isolation. By integrating diverse perspectives, the research seeks to build a more complete understanding of ACL injuries in elite women's football and inform future prevention strategies.
Professor Andrew Amis from Imperial’s Department of Mechanical Engineering will supervise the project, providing additional expertise. The research will involve players and staff from every club in the Barclays Women's Super League and WSL 2, making it one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.
Ritan Mehta, Head of Women’s Medical at The FA, highlighted the collaborative nature of the project, stating, “By working collaboratively, we can bring together expertise, data and lived experiences to deliver one of the most comprehensive studies into ACL injuries in the women’s game.”
The research will consist of two phases: player surveys collecting data on injury history, training load, and various influencing factors, followed by interviews with players and staff to gather further context on current practices. Dr Abosede Ajayi, Medical Governance Lead at WSL Football, noted the potential for the project to "strengthen ACL injury prevention strategies, inform medical standards across the women's game, and ultimately create safer, healthier environments for current and future generations of players."
Mr Simon Ball, Sports Knee Surgeon at Fortius Clinic, emphasised the importance of prevention, stating, “There is still a lot to learn, and we owe it not only to the current generation of players, but to all future female footballers to deepen our knowledge and understanding with the aim of reducing the incidence to as low as possible.”
