ACL injuries in women's football: Committee says response 'disparate and slow'


The response to the high number of anterior cruciate ligament injuries suffered by female footballers has been criticised by a committee of MPs.

England stars Leah Williamson and Beth Mead are among those to have injured their ACL recently.

The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) cited unsuitable boots as a contributing factor.

"The sports science sector's response to the ACL issue has been disparate and slow," the WEC said.

Its report calls for better female-specific clothing, footwear and equipment.

"A health issue of similar magnitude affecting elite male footballers would have received a faster, more thorough, and better co-ordinated response," the report added.

"While female footballers in the UK have enjoyed great success at club and national level, they have done so wearing ill-fitting footwear.

"Few football boots designed for women are available, and those that do exist are rarely stocked or promoted by the UK's leading high street sports retailers."

The "Health barriers for girls and women in sport" report was produced by cross-party MPs in line with International Women's Day, which is on Friday, 8 March.

It called for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Department for Education (DfE) to set up a taskforce, increase research and develop a strategy to address the inequalities in women's health and physiology issues.

Alongside the DCMS and DfE, the report recommends that the taskforce include representatives from UK Sport, women's health and fitness experts including The Well HQ, sport and exercise research institutes, and the UK divisions of leading sportswear and sporting goods brands.

Chaired by Caroline Nokes MP, the report added that the issue of sportswear and equipment being unsuitable for women is is "indicative of systemic gender inequality in sports and exercise research, which is still overwhelmingly conducted by men, looking at issues affecting men".

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