Off The Pitch: Regeneration, Injury, Recovery
How to reduce the injuries in women's football? NWSL joined Project ACL
In the NWSL in 2025, 13 separate players saw their season cut short due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. In the ongoing 2026 season, nine players have already torn their ACLs, most recently Brazilian forward Dudinha in a friendly against the USWNT on June 9. It’s no surprise, then, that the league and its players association (NWSLPA) are joining Project ACL, a global research project hoping to reduce ACL injuries in professional women’s football.
Norway's midtbaneterrier Thea Bjelde and the Art of Coming Back
Kategorie: Regeneration, Injury, RecoveryYou’re 18. You’ve just helped your team to a bronze medal in Norway’s Toppserien. You have been nominated Young Player of the Year. Everything feels like it’s falling into place — a career opening up in front of you, a path that could one day follow the likes of Caroline Graham Hansen or Maren Mjelde. And then, suddenly, it stops. The diagnosis every footballer fears: an ACL injury.
ACL crisis? A solution may be on the way
For every athlete, an ACLÂ (anterior cruciate ligament injury) injury is a nightmare. It takes away at least a year of your career. According to previous research, women should be more at risk of injury, and there is also a connection with the menstrual cycle. However, the solution may be closer than it seems.