Project ACL launched to help understand, reduce knee injuries in women's soccer

A three-year study dubbed Project ACL launched Tuesday with the goal of reducing anterior cruciate ligament knee injuries in women's soccer.

The project is a collaboration between FIFPro, England's Professional Footballers Association, Nike and Leeds Beckett University. FIFPro is the global union for professional football players representing some 65,000 players.

Injuries to the ACL are two to six times more likely to occur in women than men and some two-thirds of ACL injuries occur in women's football when there is no physical contact, according to research. And that number has not been reduced despite research and more professionalism in women's soccer.

But FIFPro says there is little understanding about how to reduce such injuries in professional women footballers, with most existing research and injury reduction programs focusing on amateur players.

"This is a response to the players rightly calling for more research," said Alex Culvin, FIFPro's head of strategy and research for women's football and a former player herself. "Probably since COVID we've seen a number of high-profile ACL injury in professional women's football."

Canadian Janine Beckie, Australian Sam Kerr, Spain's Alexia Putellas and England's Beth Mead and Leah Williamson are among the international stars who have suffered recent ACL injuries.

Project ACL will work proactively with the 12 clubs and approximately 300 players in the FA Women's Super League (FA WSL) "to better understand their current working environment, identify best practice and provide solutions to support the reduction of ACL injuries."

The study will include a review of existing research related to women's pro football, ACL injuries and existing injury-reduction program, assess FA