IT IS one of the starkest differences between the men and women’s game.
And yet, according to an expert, there has been little or no genuine effort to try and lessen the incidence of ACL injuries among female footballers.
In February, Jamie Finn suffered a tear during an Ireland training session in Italy.
There was no tackle or contact. She just went to press an opponent and her knee went.
Ireland colleagues Aoife Mannion and Savannah McCarthy can empathise as they have been sidelined in the past with the same issue.
Ballon d’Or winner Megan Rapinoe suffered three ACL tears in her career while Australiastar Sam Kerr is currently out of action with one. So is her Chelsea team-mate Mia Fishel.
England star Leah Williamson made her comeback from one earlier this year.
Her Arsenal team-mate Beth Mead observed in November 2022 that 25 per cent of the nominees for the Ballon d’Or award — including herself — were, at that time, out of action for the same reason.
It is not an aberration. ACL injuries are four to six times more common among female footballers than men.
Players are acutely aware of the issue but have limited means of trying to avoid it.
And Christophe Champs, founder of PODO Orthotics and Biomechanics, has been attempting to raise awareness of the problem in a bid to convince boot manufacturers to take it more seriously and develop appropriate footwear.
Having previously worked on orthotics for cyclists, his interest in football was piqued by a visit from with Manchester United’s head of medical services, Gary O’Driscoll, when he held the position at Arsenal.
O’Driscoll is known here from his time as team doctor with the Ireland rugby team and for being a cousin of Brian O’Driscoll.
As a result of his conversation with him, Champs and his company are devoting 2024 to trying to highlight the need for the development and manufacture of female-specific boots.
But Champs told SunSport: “Women’s football is where the biggest need is but it is not where the money is. The need is there but not the demand.”
Except it is a market where the scope for growth has been consistently underestimated, whether that be in attendances, TV audience or participation levels.
And sport is arguably the one field of footwear where the choice for men far outstrips that for women.
Champs points to the design and production of replica shirts in football and other sports specifically for women when, previously, no such option existed.
The higher incidence of ACL injuries is well-known at this stage but, in the absence of any other changes to the women’s game, Champs believes that the suitability of the boot has been seriously overlooked.
While big firms might rationalise that being down to economies of scale, it is not hard to conceive of a situation where a female player would be willing to pay a little bit extra for boots than she does currently if they are more comfortable and more likely to lessen her risk of injury.
And Champs argued: “The size of the pitch is the same, the length of the matches are the same, there are the same number of substitutes and yet you have this disparity in how frequently a particular injury occurs and nobody has tried to solve it.”
He and his clinic are attempting to get the ball rolling with the ultimate aim of having affordable mass-produced boots for women which according to those involved in the sport would be most welcome.
Shamrock Rovers boss Collie O’Neill said: “My players often change their boots two or three times during a session because they are not comfortable in the ones they have.
“Our strength and conditioning coach Orlaith White is very good and we haven’t had any ACL within our squad because you do what you can to try to lessen the risk but obviously we know the danger is there.”
While ACL injuries are common in the elite game, Champs reckons it is even worse at grassroots level where there is not the same level of expertise and support, in terms of S&C work designed to lessen the risk.
He points to a rate of 25 to 30 per cent of women not returning to the sport after they have torn an ACL.
This, he is convinced, could be reduced with a female-specific boot.
He said: “If you look at the foot of a man compared to a woman, they are two different animals. A woman’s heel is narrower in comparison and they have a lower instep.
“A woman’s fascia is affected by hormones during their period but not only during their period.
“Oestrogen makes the knee capsule lighter, the muscles are lighter and if there is fatigue, what is left to support the knee? The ACL.
“If you cannot rely on the muscles to hold the knee up, you must start from the foot up.
“You have one quarter — 56 bones — of your skeleton in your foot. If you secure that, the other three-quarters will feel better.
“It is very simple and the key is in the name of the sport. You play football a lot on the forefoot.
“That is extremely demanding and the foot needs support.”
BOOT IT OUT
Champs is dismissive of the efforts of boot manufacturers to date, arguing that the concept of a unisex boot creates issues for men rather than solving a problem for women.
And an investigation found some of those marketed under that banner, or catering to a woman’s need, had the same dimensions as boots already on the shop floor.
That prompted England boss Sarina Wiegman to call for greater attention on the issue.
And Champs said: “You don’t just shrink it and pink it. If you have a woman who is a size three or four, she is in a kid’s boot, designed to support someone who weighs 30kg.
“If she is a size eight, it’s impossible to be comfortable in a man’s boot.
“Gender-neutral boots do not make sense because, just as a woman cannot feel snug in a man’s boot, a man is not going to be comfortable in a boot in which the heel is narrower.
“It’s a bad concept which is just based on being easier to stock and having a better profit margin.”
But, in the absence of a big-name financial backer or endorsement from a star, progress is not as quick as it might have been.
So far, the only club to have thrown its doors open to Champs’ mobile clinic is the progressive, non-league Clapton Community FC.
Nevertheless, he intends to plough on with the project until the end of the year at least.
He said: “I want to meet as many players as I can between now and then and collect as much data as I can and then put it out there.
“I know people would listen more to a big star but we’re working from the ground up.
“I’m not afraid of the challenge.”