The investigation aims to understand why ACL injuries occur in women's football and how to reduce the number of injuries. ACL injuries are among the most severe in women's football, with players often being sidelined for months or even longer than a year. The FA has invited all clubs from the WSL and WSL2 to participate in the investigation, which will be conducted by Imperial College London and funded by the FA.

The investigation comes as women's football continues to grow in popularity. The FA has stated that understanding why ACL injuries occur and how to prevent them has become a major research theme in the sport. The investigation will build on previous research that has identified various factors that can influence the risk of ACL injuries, such as anatomical and hormonal factors. However, these factors have often been studied separately or in controlled environments, and little is known about how they interact with each other in the daily practice of top-level women's football.

In related news, the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands started a sub-study on ACL injuries in female amateur footballers (19-21 years) in 2024, commissioned by the UEFA and supported by the KNVB. The researchers aimed to find out if there is a link between certain stress factors from daily life and the occurrence of these severe knee injuries. The study is still ongoing.

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