Eddie Craghill

Introduction

Women’s football has thrived in recent years with vast increases in grassroots participation, the value of commercial contracts, transfer fees and attendances. Fuelled by England’s success at the Euros, elite players and teams are experiencing unprecedented exposure within mainstream culture. Whilst many are now household names and consequently no stranger to having their picture taken, imaging in a clinical context has an important role in driving the continued growth of elite women’s football.

Injury patterns in elite women’s football
In 2018, the Women’s Super League (WSL) became professional with all players required to be contracted full- time as part of the licence criteria. The restructure of the top two divisions also saw three clubs affiliated to men’s Premier League teams granted entry into either the WSL or Women’s Championship (WC). In the interim, several WSL teams have relocated their training facilities to either share with men’s teams or move into purpose built facilities of their own. Consequently, elite women’s footballers now have much greater access to top class medical facilities and personnel.