The NWSL and NWSLPA are teaming up with Project ACL, a research initiative focused on reducing ACL injuries in pro women’s soccer.
Launched in 2024 by England’s WSL, the US investment represents a coordinated approach between two of the world’s top pro leagues to address the environmental and biological factors behind the epidemic.
Along with FIFPRO, Nike, and Leeds Beckett University, the partnership is spearheading a three-year study slated for June 2026, with researchers tracking players’ travel schedules, workload, and game minutes — especially when playing on short rest.
ACL tears are two to six times more likely to occur in women’s soccer athletes than men’s. Yet according to Project ACL, just 8% of all sports research specifically targets women’s athletes.
Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr, US and Gotham defender Tierna Davidson, and England and Arsenal center-back Leah Williamson represent a fraction of high-profile ACL injuries sustained in recent years.
“We believe that player-centricity and collaboration with key stakeholders are central to establishing meaningful change,” said Dr. Alex Culvin, director of women’s football at FIFPRO. “Players, competition organizers, and stakeholders around the world will benefit from Project ACL’s outputs and outcomes.”
As the 2025/26 European club season shifts into full gear, a spike in ACL injuries is shedding new light on the increasingly dense women's soccer calendar.
Germany and Bayern Munich star Lena Oberdorf ruptured her right ACL during her club's Bundesliga match on Sunday, just weeks after the 23-year-old midfielder returned to play from rehabbing the same injury — in the same right knee.
"To now face a second such setback is incredibly hard," said Bayern Munich director of women's football Bianca Rech. "We are fully by Lena's side, will support her as best we can in her recovery and be there for her in every way."
Oberdorf is far from alone, with over 20 ACL injuries impacting multiple women's soccer leagues across the world in just the last three months.
Arsenal goalkeeper and Austrian international Manuela Zinsberger went down with an ACL tear during the Gunners' 2025/26 Champions League match last week, joining standouts like midfielder Sarah Zadrizil (Bayern Munich/Austria), striker Sophie Román Haug (Liverpool/Norway), forward Liana Joseph (OL Lyonnes/France), and midfielder Maite Oroz (Tottenham/Spain) on the injury's mounting hit list.
ACL injuries have long plagued the women's game, with FIFPRO recently developing the Project ACL research initiative to investigate and alleviate the issue.