ACL injuries in women’s football and the need for insurance cover for players

As part of its commitment to the health and wellbeing of female footballers, and to make the game safer for players, UEFA recently announced that it is going to tackle head-on one of the most damaging injuries players can sustain: the anterior cruciate ligament injury (“ACL”). UEFA are set to establish a women’s health expert panel that will report on the causes of ACL injuries and provide their recommendations on preventing and managing the injury in the future[1]. 

With players potentially spending over a year out injured and unable to work, ACL injuries can lead to significant physical, emotional, and financial hardship for those that sustain them, especially for those not at the top of the footballing pyramid. Given the rising prevalence of ACL injuries across the women’s game in recent years, the need for players and clubs to consider obtaining insurance cover, has never been more important.

This article discusses the developments on protection of players and their livelihoods in cases of long injuries such as ACL injuries and highlights the need for insurance cover for players to mitigate the potential impact of such injuries.

It looks at:

• What is the anterior cruciate ligament?
• The stats behind ACL injuries in women’s football
• Changes to the standard WSL playing contract
• The situation lower down the footballing pyramid
• What steps are being taken globally to tackle the issues caused by ACL injuries?
• The need for appropriate insurance cover