More needs to be done to protect players in the women’s game from serious injury – and I believe it has to happen early on in their development.
Some of the biggest names in women’s football are currently out with serious long-term injuries, such as an ACL injury, with Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema the latest casualty.
Miedema ruptured her ACL in last week’s Uefa Women’s Champions League game against Lyon and will now miss the rest of the club season and likely the 2023 World Cup.
She will be a big loss for Arsenal and the Netherlands, but despite this horrendous time for her, Miedema has put an important highlight on something which should be spoken about more.
Her injury came just days after she was talking about the issues surrounding injuries in the women’s game on my podcast Behind The Goals, but she is often vocal about player welfare.
💔🤕🩼
Gutted to share I’ve ruptured my ACL.
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PS. I can’t wait to boss around @bmeado9 this time, at least we’ve still got two decent ACL’s between us 🩼😅 pic.twitter.com/E52GAQP1GI
— Vivianne Miedema (@VivianneMiedema) December 19, 2022
When she confirmed her injury with a statement posted on social media, her words made clear the impact it can have on a player’s mental health.
Players often say they’ll come back stronger – which they often do because of the intensive recovery and rehab – but that doesn’t mean it’s not a really difficult time.
A lot of players might not publicly talk a lot about the mental health aspect of an injury but it is an important part of the incredibly hard journey towards recovery.
For somebody of Miedema’s calibre to come out and publicly speak about the different kinds of challenges that comes with injury, it’s a really honest and refreshing thing to hear.
Miedema is one of several key Arsenal players who will miss or have missed a portion of the season due to injury – but they were boosted by the return of their captain Kim Little on Wednesday night.
She made her comeback from a knee injury in Arsenal’s 9-1 win over FC Zürich in the UWCL, when she came on as a subsitute in the 62nd minute for her first minutes on the field since October.
It was really nice to see her back playing, and what better way for Kim to mark her return by scoring Arsenal’s eighth goal.
How can things improve? Sports science has to play a big role
Injuries in all sports are inevitable, they are always going to be something that we have to contend with in – but it doesn’t have to be something that we just accept.
Research has already told us a bit about some of the differences in sports injuries in male and female athletes, like how the menstrual cycle affects injuries and why physiological differences makes ACL injuries more prevalent for women.
And further research and data on that needs to be done because it’s very important, but what would be just as important is if we provided young players with sports science now.
It’s still something that’s missing in the women’s game: there’s not the same longer standing infrastructure and knowledge that exists in the men’s game, including the likes of sports science, which benefits girls’ youth teams.
You have to include it in a player’s younger years, as they can then use what they learnt about injury prevention and recovery and support in their early development throughout their career.
I was probably 24 or 25 before I had any real access to sports science and I’m certain a lot of other current senior players in the women’s game would be the same.
And I’d only done a little bit of gym work which was actually provided from my university when I tore my ACL – which was a contact injury – when I was 22.
If I’d been exposed to more aspects of football earlier on in my career, I would’ve felt better equipped to recover and cope with such a devastating injury.
Aston Villa rally together throughout injury crisis
The festive break probably came at a good time for my Aston Villa team, as we struggled with an increasingly long list of injuries, especially as the first half of the season neared an end.
At Villa, we had three players out with ACL injuries going into the break and several more with other problems.
It can be a difficult environment to perform in because we care about our teammates and it’s difficult to see them unable to play.
We have a great group of girls at Villa who have all rallied together. The injured players have been the biggest supporters of the ones on the pitch, and that’s tough for them because, of course, they want nothing more than to be out there with us.
Although it’s not been ideal to have so many injuries, those girls have supported each other in their recovery and rehab and pushed each other on.
Having a long injury list does affect things to day-to-day – and not just at a match – as reduced numbers means training drills may have to be adapted.
The break means we all get some rest, which will hopefully benefit the team as we hope to return in the New Year with fewer absentees.
Glasgow City opportunity beckons for Leanne Ross
My former club and country teammate Leanne Ross has found herself in the Glasgow City hotseat after Eileen Gleeson had to step down from her role as manager due to work commitments.
I’m really excited for Leanne to get this opportunity to lead the way and it’s one she will be ready for after her time as assistant coach at City and having worked as part of Pedro Martinez Losa’s coaching staff with the national team.
The Glasgow City players know the history of the club, they will know how big a part Leanne has played in that, having won 27 trophies as a player at the club.
She’ll have their total respect, and Leanne will share the same passion for the club as the current crop of players do, so it has all the makings for a successful match.
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