Kansas City, Missouri, USA : The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and its players’ union have joined Project ACL, a global effort to reduce anterior cruciate ligament injuries in women’s football.
The initiative, launched in England’s Women’s Super League, aims to address the disproportionately high rate of ACL injuries among female players, who are more than twice as likely as men to suffer the injury.
Project ACL brings together partners including Nike, Leeds Beckett University and global players’ union FIFPRO to develop evidence-based solutions.
Researchers say women account for as little as 8% of sports science studies, leaving significant gaps in understanding injury prevention at the elite level.
The NWSL partnership will focus on analysing not only physical risk factors but also training loads, match scheduling and recovery environments. Data will be collected using the FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring tool, which tracks elements such as travel and “critical zone” matches played with limited recovery time.
More than 25 players missed the FIFA Women’s World Cup due to ACL injuries, highlighting the scale of the issue.
“We believe that player-centricity and collaboration with key stakeholders are central to establishing meaningful change,” said Alex Culvin, FIFPRO’s director of women’s football.
NWSL vice-president of sporting Sarah Gregorius said improving player welfare was a priority.
“This is an area where we intend to lead. By investing in this work, we can help build environments where players are better supported and able to perform at their best,” she said.
Recent cases underline the concern, with Kayla Duran among the latest players to suffer a season-ending ACL injury earlier this month.
