Career-impacting injuries in professional female football players remain an under-researched challenge that demands much greater attention. Although promising work is underway, more holistic research is needed to fully understand the complexities. Notably, the linked BBC article on this topic whilst interesting overlooks several critical factors. One being the role of footwear – specifically, how studs, blades, and their configurations affect player-surface interaction.
At TenCate, we’ve collaborated with professional female players to study various surface types, factoring in footwear selection and other confounding variables. Our goal is to better understand the loads and forces exerted by players on the surface, as well as the resulting reaction forces on the athlete. It’s always an engaging dialogue with players about balancing elite performance demands, like grip and impact, against the risk of overloading joints. Many professionals struggle with this tradeoff between enhanced performance and potential injury in their pursuit of a competitive edge.
We will continue our research efforts and welcome broader collaboration. By combining insights and resources, we can help reduce the incidence of injuries while maintaining high levels of athletic performance.
