The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) are joining Project ACL, the two organizations announced on Wednesday. Project ACL is an initiative focused on research to reduce anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in professional women’s soccer.
Project ACL was founded in England with support from the Professional Footballers Association, and is focused on understanding the causes of ACL injuries in women’s soccer, both physical and circumstantial.
ACL injuries are twice as likely for women as for men, and most occur as non-contact injuries.
The NWSL and NWSLPA will work alongside existing project partners FIFPRO, Nike, and Leeds Beckett University to conduct research.
“The NWSLPA is proud to join Project ACL, which brings together players, leagues and researchers to better understand ACL injuries,” said Tori Huster, Deputy Executive Director at the NWSLPA. “That understanding requires looking beyond the individual and examining the conditions players train and compete in each day. Project ACL is an opportunity to build the kind of player-centric evidence that can lead to meaningful changes across women’s professional soccer.”
“Player health and performance are fundamental to the future of our league, and this is an area where we intend to lead,” said Sarah Gregorius, Vice-President of Sporting at the NWSL.
“Joining Project ACL is an important part of the league’s continued commitment to advancing player safety, bringing together research, data and collaboration to better understand and reduce ACL injuries in women’s soccer. By continuing to invest in this work, we can help build environments where our players are better supported and able to perform at their best,” said Gregorius.
