By James Harrop & Jack Roberts
A lack of female-specific football boots are forcing players to wear footwear designed for men and children, putting them at increased risk of serious injury.
Research has shown women on the pitch are between two to six times more likely to suffer ACL injures than male players and over 80 per cent of female footballers suffer discomfort on a regular basis, according to a study conducted for the European Club Association.
Ellie Doyle, who plays forward for Tranmere Rovers Women, in the North West Women’s Regional League, injured her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) earlier this season.
She said: “I have to wear the kid’s version of men’s boots because they don’t sell my size. They are probably not the best for my feet with the amount of times I wear them a week.”
This week, ‘Project ACL’, a three-year research campaign, partly funded by the PFA and Nike, was launched. It aims to better understand the prominence of the injury in the women’s game.
The study will focus on players in the Women’s Super League, with the aim of reducing the number of ACL injures, which caused 37 players to miss the 2023 Women’s World Cup, including England captain Leah Williamson.
Nim Fenton, who play for Hemsworth Miners Welfare Ladies FC, said: “It’s quite expensive to buy women’s boots.
“When it comes to women’s kit there could be a better range, including football boots. You will only find certain boots from certain brands.”
Some major football brands, such as Adidas and New Balance, currently do not sell boots specifically designed for women.
When contacted, Adidas said: “All our boots are tested to the highest standard with parity between men and women… and this ultimately means we are delivering boots that support all players on-pitch to play to the best of their ability.”
Likewise, New Balance admitted to not currently producing football boots specifically for women.
Traditionally, all football boots are based on the dimensions of a generic white male foot, not accommodating for the subtle differences of women’s feet, which have a higher arch and different heel shape.
IDA launched the first football boot designed exclusively for women in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted sport across the world.
Evie Driscoll-King, defender for Peterborough United Women, said: “I have always just opted for men’s boots because of the lack of choice in women’s.
“I may wear them in the future, but they are very niche and very limited. Because of the nicheness of them they are very expensive.”
IDA currently have five pairs of boots available, and these cost between £74.99 and £134.99.
