Vivianne Miedema, Arsenal’s star forward, voices concerns over the surge in ACL injuries among female football players and calls for more substantial investment and resources.

• Vivianne Miedema calls for increased investment and action to tackle the rising number of ACL injuries among women footballers.
• Miedema highlights the alarming number of ACL injuries in the top leagues and links the crisis to insufficient resources and increased stress on the players.
• Arsenal are conducting a study into the series of ACL injuries, as female players are notably more likely to suffer this injury.

In a passionate plea, Arsenal’s forward, Vivianne Miedema, is calling for increased attention to the escalating number of ACL injuries in women’s football. This appeal comes following a series of injuries affecting her fellow Gunners this season, including herself, Beth Mead, Laura Wienroither, and England’s captain, Leah Williamson.

Laura Wienroither’s ACL injury highlights Arsenal’s worrying trend and need for more research

Miedema, aged 26, highlights that this issue extends beyond Arsenal. “More than 20 per cent of last year’s Ballon d’Or nominees are out with ACL injuries right now, which is ridiculous,” she lamented.

Miedema stated that 57 ACL injuries have been reported across the top five leagues in women’s football in Europe this year alone.

The star forward stresses the urgent need for Fifa and clubs to allocate more resources towards this issue.

According to Miedema, clubs need to put more funds into the medical team, travel, and other essential areas that have failed to keep pace with the increased game schedules. She firmly believes that the players’ fitness is currently at stake due to these shortcomings.

“If you compare that with a men’s team, they would have nine or 10 full-time physios,” she remarked. “We get put under the same stress but we don’t have the same facilities and circumstances around us.”

In response to this crisis, Arsenal are actively researching the ACL injuries, considering female players are six times more likely to experience non-contact ligament rupture than men.

Current research suggests a link to the menstrual cycle, with hormone fluctuations potentially affecting joint stability.

Miedema concludes by emphasising that the focus should be placed on the mental health, the physical aspect of overplaying, and the menstrual cycle, as these factors constitute the triangle that needs exploration.

For her, the worry about getting injured is becoming too prevalent and detracts from the enjoyment of the game.