ACL injuries in women's football: 'Female stars treated like second class citizens'

The WSL returns this weekend and several huge stars like Leah Williamson and Viviane Miedema are out due to ACL issues.

It's a problem that has plagued the sport for a long time and over 25 players missed the Women's World Cup due to this injury.

It's something that can't go on, but the solution isn't straightforward at all.

Why are there so many ACL injuries in Women's football?

The Anterior cruciate ligament is a short strand of muscle that attaches our shin bone to the thigh bone, and it's situated within the knee.

But there is no straightforward reason for why this injury particularly impacts female footballers.

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talkSPORT's Charlotte Fisher has been speaking to the Premier League's top knee surgeon Dr Andy Williams.

He has operated on Virgil van Dijk and Darren Bent in the past.

He said: "There is probably a tendency for the female athletes to be less well conditioned, and unfortunately, that's a reflection on the disparity between what women get and men get.

"They are frequently treated as second-class citizens."

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So he believes that it's down to the way the players are conditioned.

The female anatomy must also be considered, as it is different to a male's.

Female athletes are more likely to suffer from muscle strength imbalances, which can lead to certain injuries being more common.

This is why the right strength and conditioning at a young age is crucial, but there is a lack of investment.

Birmingham City midfielder Remi Allen has snapped her ACL twice and wants to see more protection for female footballers.

Talking to talkSPORT she said: "In the time that I have been a professional footballer, what is asked of us physically is insane.

"Are we matching up our medical departments to what we are actually asking of the players? I don't think across the Women's game we are."

Women's football is years behind the men's game when it comes to medical investment and research, so until more money is pumped in, we might continue to see these sorts of injuries.

Another problem relates to the pitches that some WSL games are played on.

Many matches take place on artificial surfaces or on pitches without under-soil heating, so there are many issues and reasons behind all of these WSL injuries.

Couple this with an ever-increasing schedule, and you can see why these types of injuries are continuing to rise.

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But a lot of these issues will be fixed as the WSL continues to grow in popularity.

Hopefully, the required medical advancements happen very quickly and the number of ACL injuries comes right down to stop football failing women.