England's Bright joins chorus of calls for action on ACL injuries

MANCHESTER, England : Footballers missing tournaments through injury has always been part and parcel of the game but the sheer number of women whose World Cup dreams have been dashed by anterior cruciate ligament ruptures this year has led to calls for a radical rethink.

    "There always needs to be more done," said England captain Millie Bright in the wake of three of her team mates being ruled out of the event that starts this month through ACL issues.

    "From a female perspective, it is different. We all know the body is very different to the male. But it is more than just one factor. It's facilities, pitches, the number of games we are playing - the amount of rest is absolutely critical.

"It's everything together, and all the elements need to align if we want to perform at the highest level."

    The European champions have lost captain Leah Williamson, Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead and Fran Kirby.

Other key players missing with ACL injuries include Janine Beckie (Canada), Delphine Cascarino and Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands), and Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson (United States).

    Williamson, Mead and Miedema were three of a remarkable four Arsenal players to rupture ACLs this season.

    "If the same thing happened with Arsenal's men's side with probably their three best players, that should be enough for a: 'Why is this happening? Look into this,'" Beckie said in April.

"It seems like there's been this massive jump in the amount that it's happening now. I don't know what the reason is but someone needs to figure it out," she told Reuters.

SEVERAL THEORIES

Various studies suggest women are two to eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries compared to men in the same