Key Takeaways
- The NWSL will work with England’s WSL and Fifpro for three years to study why female players suffer far more ACL tears.
- Experts will look at pitches, boots, travel loads and gym access—not just biology—to cut injury numbers.
- Stars such as Leah Williamson and Sam Kerr have already lost major tournaments to knee-ligament damage.
America’s National Women’s Soccer League has teamed up with England’s Women’s Super League and the world players’ union Fifpro in a fresh attempt to reduce anterior-cruciate-ligament injuries in women’s football.
The new drive, called Project ACL x NWSL, will run for three seasons and mirror research that began in England last year. Scientists will study 16 NWSL clubs and 12 WSL sides, gathering data on training grounds, match schedules, travel times, boot design and pitch quality.
Female players are between two and six times more likely than men to damage an ACL, yet less than ten per cent of sports-science studies focus on women. Many previous reports blamed wider hips or knee shape, but Project ACL will also examine issues clubs can control: crowded calendars, poor gym equipment and turf that is too hard.
Since the 2023 World Cup, several headline names—including England captain Leah Williamson, Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema and United States forward Catarina Macario—have sat out big events because of knee-ligament tears. Germany’s Lena Oberdorf and Australia’s Sam Kerr then missed the 2024 Paris Olympics with the same problem.
Tori Huster, deputy boss of the NWSL players’ union, said the study will place “the player at the centre” and could lead to rule changes on rest, surfaces and footwear. NWSL vice-president Sarah Gregorius added that the league wants to “lead the world” in player welfare.
Fifpro has already interviewed more than 30 WSL footballers and will now repeat the process in the United States. A phone app will let volunteers log sleep, recovery and travel hours so analysts can spot risk patterns.
Early findings are expected next year, with the hope of creating league-wide prevention plans similar to those already used for concussions.