Women’s football is rising fast. Fans are growing, talents are emerging, and leagues are expanding. Yet, one crucial thing is missing: the SCIENCE behind it.
Despite the sport’s progress, research lags far behind. Decisions about training, injury care, and player health still rely largely on male-focused studies.
Because studies on women make up less than 15% of football science, players receive guidance built for bodies unlike theirs.
This affects players’ safety, performance levels, and how clubs build long-term plans. The impact reaches every corner of the game.
Although some believe men’s data is enough, key biological differences challenge that view. Shrinking and adjusting male studies often leaves more questions than answers.
As the sport gains attention, women’s football deserves an approach grounded in evidence—not in assumptions borrowed from another version of the game: the male’s studies.
The injury crisis we still don’t fully understand
Among the most alarming outcomes of this issue is the high injury rate. Female players suffer ACL tears at rates two to eight times higher than men.
Though body structure, hormones, or biomechanics contribute, no reliable prevention studies exist yet.
Men’s rehab protocols rarely account for menstrual cycles, hormonal shifts, or pregnancy. These differences, when ignored, increase risks and delay recovery.
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Even basic training load management becomes uncertain. Coaches often work without female-specific markers to guide intensity, recovery, or return-to-play timelines.
Unfortunately, research into head injuries and their long-term effects on women also remains underdeveloped. What works for men may misrepresent real female risks.
Not addressing this problem leaves us wondering. Without clarity, efforts to protect athletes remain limited—despite their best intentions and growing urgency.
As more women play professionally, these oversights are no longer acceptable. Elite sport must begin to treat women’s health as essential, not optional.
Why performance still falls short
Training plans, nutritional plans, and recovery routines mostly reflect data from male athletes. That gap holds back the full potential of female players.
Despite years of progress, we still lack precise knowledge of how women handle heat, recover post-match, or metabolize food during competition.
Because female physiology differs, especially in energy use and hormonal cycles, relying on male-focused guidelines leads to misaligned or ineffective performance plans.
Talent identification also suffers. Clubs still scout young girls using studies created for boys—unintentionally limiting who gets seen and supported.
Beyond that, coaching staff lack benchmarks built on female data. Sprint speeds, distance covered, or tactical markers differ.
This absence delays player development. Without targeted solutions, many capable athletes plateau earlier or struggle to reach their peak.
Modern football must rely on specific metrics. The game has changed too much to continue applying outdated or ill-fitting systems to a growing talent base.
In order to build smarter teams, the starting point must shift—toward science built around women, not just borrowed from men.
Growth demands real data
As women’s football expands, clubs and federations must build wisely. Yet strategy stalls without relevant information to support long-term planning.
Currently, many leagues lack sufficient data on how female players move, tire, and recover during matches.
Even questions around tactics or pitch coverage still depend on fragmented or early-stage studies. Coaches, as a result, prepare using incomplete ideas.
For growth to be intentional, football must study its players closely. Only then can federations make smart choices on competition formats or rule shifts.
Investment in infrastructure also depends on data. Without clarity on staffing needs, medical care, or tech use, clubs risk overcommitting in the wrong areas.
To build competitive leagues, coaches must understand exactly what women’s teams need, not guesswork. We should focus on knowledge rather than instincts.
Bridging the gap with action
Change begins by placing women-specific research at the centre of football’s development plans.
Funding remains the most urgent need. FIFA, UEFA, national bodies, and private sponsors must commit targeted money to women’s football science.
Beyond funding, teams and leagues must start collecting data from match stats and medical records, while ensuring player privacy and ethical practices.
Alongside that, the industry must support more women in sports science roles. By expanding access and funding for female researchers, we grow the field responsibly.
Partnerships between clubs, universities, and medical institutions will also matter.
Moreover, long-term studies should track players from youth to retirement. This approach reveals how injuries develop and how women age within the sport.
Crucially, biological factors like menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause should no longer remain on the fringes of research. They must become a scientific priority.
Football can’t afford to guess. To protect its players and evolve with purpose, the game must understand what makes women’s football distinct and deserving.
Crowds have come. Visibility has arrived. Now, the game must give players the research they’ve long been denied.
