Non-Contact Injury Incidence in Professional Women's Football: Starting Status Matters

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at Miguel Hernández University investigated the relationship between non-contact injuries and starting status in professional women's football players. Data from 37 female players from a Spanish professional football team were collected over two consecutive seasons, with financial support from Miguel Hernández University. The study found that non-starters accumulated less match load but had a two-fold non-contact injury incidence and three-fold muscular injury incidence compared to starters, despite similar training loads.

Key Takeaways:

  • Non-starters accumulated less match load over the season but had a two-fold non-contact injury incidence and three-fold muscular injury incidence during matches than starters.
  • The larger the number of matches played as a starter, the fewer injuries (non-contact: R-2 = 0.27, p = 0.01; muscular: R-2 = 0.11, p = 0.04).
  • Diagnostic analyses identified clinical thresholds for insufficient match and training loads during the season accounting for higher injury risk.
  • Less than 5,237 decelerations and 25 matches as a starter per season during training was the best indicator to discriminate players with less likelihood of non-contact injury.
  • Football players with less match exposure from a women's professional squad may be more prone to injury due to under-exposure to the demands of the game.
  • The study highlights the importance of match exposure in reducing the risk of non-contact injuries in professional women's football.

Statistics:

  • 37 female players from a Spanish professional football team were included in the study.
  • 20 starters and 17 non-starters were classified based on their match starting status.
  • Non-starters accumulated 5,237 decelerations and played 25 matches as a starter per season during training.
  • Non-contact injuries occurred at a rate of two-fold higher in non-starters than starters.
  • Muscular injuries occurred at a rate of three-fold higher in non-starters than starters.

Sources:

  • Non-contact Injury Incidence In Professional Women's Football Depends On the Starting Status of the Player. Biology of Sport, 2025;42(3):99-107.
  • NewsRx. Findings on Sport Biology Reported by Investigators at Faculty of Sport Sciences (Non-contact Injury Incidence In Professional Women's Football Depends On the Starting Status of the Player). Health & Medicine Week. July 4, 2025; p 1793.