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Former Australia striker Sarah Walsh said ahead of the Women’s World Cup that the prevalence of knee injuries in women’s football resulted from a lack of research and investment.
“I think the crux of the issue lies in a real lack of research,” Walsh, who earned 70 caps for Australia between 2004 and 2012 and scored more than 30 goals, told the BBC on Sunday.
Several players will miss the Women’s World Cup finals, which start on Thursday, after tearing their anterior cruciate ligaments.
European champions England are among the worst-hit teams, having lost European 2022 Golden Boot winner Leah Williamson, captain Beth Mead, and Fran Kirby.
Other key players missing due to ACL injuries include Janine Piqué (Canada), Delphine Casarino, Marie Antoinette Catutu (France), Vivian Miedema (Netherlands), Katrina Macario and Mallory Swanson (USA).
Studies show that women are two to eight times more likely to sustain an ACL injury than men in the same sport and 25% less likely to return after recovery.
Theories about why women suffer ACL injuries range from women playing in shoes designed for men to anatomical differences in female players and changing hormones during women’s menstrual cycles.
“The entire high-performance environment is designed by men for men,” Walsh said. “For too long, women have been treated like little men. I would have loved to know if my period would affect any of my knee reconstructions.
We haven’t even scratched the surface. A hundred years of under-investment in women’s football has brought us to the point where we’ve lost a number of different players in this World Cup. It’s a shame we won’t see them play. It’s something we need to invest in, research.”
New Zealand and Australia will host the ninth Women’s World Cup.
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