Why the women’s football schedule is becoming unsustainable،
Footballers always want to play, don't they? So everyone should be happy with the game's expanded tournaments, extra matches, and increased workload, right? Fake.
The push for more players at the top end of the spectrum has seen player workloads become unsustainable, with workload a direct cause of injuries in women's football, according to a report published by FIFPRO in December. A spate of ACL injuries – which, while multifaceted, are linked to the increased pressures on the body and mind that accompany so many games – is a clear sign that there is too much football.
On the men's side, players like Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, as well as Barcelona duo Pedri and Gavi, have suffered the effects of a lengthening calendar and are showing. “I had three hamstrings in a row, but they were nowhere near the same place,” De Bruyne, 32, told the Independent. “I had so much scar tissue that it could break at any moment…I want to play every game but I know deep down I have to take care of myself.”
PSG star Kylian Mbappé said this week in an interview with GQ that European soccer is starting to mirror the NBA season and, while the 24-year-old isn't necessarily against the idea of 70-game seasons, he warned of load management effects on players and that the spectacle for fans would be impacted.
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In women's football, the schedule for players competing in domestic and European competitions has become more crowded – arguably due to FIFA/UEFA's desire to capitalize on its new status in an attempt to develop it globally and, Of course. , earn more money. But those who have to juggle international football with the rigors of travel – for example Chelsea's Sam Kerr and Arsenal's contingent of Australian internationals when they have to fly to home matches – see the risk of injury multiply.
Between matches and travel, there is little time to adequately rest and recover. Yes, footballers are professionals who work closely with the medical staff of a club or national team and are (or should be) in peak physical condition, but everyone is human and the need for recovery is important.
England and Barcelona star Keira Walsh was cited as one of many examples in another FIFPRO study, the World Cup Workload Journey Report. During the period in question (August 1, 2022 to June 2, 2023), the midfielder only had 10 days of off-season break, compared to seven during the season, a far cry from the recommended minimum of 28 and 14 days respectively. .
Continuing summer international tournaments and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic mean that Europe's top national teams are now expected to play back-to-back, from the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) to the 2021 European Championships. (held in 2022) at the 2023 World Cup, the 2024 Olympics and then Euro 2025. The only nation currently at risk of five consecutive international summers is the Netherlands, who participated in the 2025 Olympics. 2020 in Japan and are one win away. for a place at this summer's Paris Games. All this while the size of the teams remains the same.
Indeed, while there was understandably disappointment at their failure to qualify, England also breathed a big sigh of relief with England's elimination from the UEFA Nations League ( and therefore potential qualification via final qualifiers for this summer's Olympics.) As injured England captain Leah Williamson told the Daily Telegraph earlier this week: “It's horrible that one of the first Things that came to mind about the Olympics was: 'At least they'll probably all have another two or three years of their careers now, because they'll have a summer off. Everyone needs a rest and now they will get one. “
In the Women's Super League, where the majority of the Lionesses team play, there is a 22-match championship season, supplemented by the FA Cup and the League Cup, the latter clogging up the calendar even more with a phase of groups played by those who do not participate in the Champions League.
Teams dealing with multiple injuries aren't all that new in the women's game – Arsenal's last title-winning season in 2018-19, or Liverpool's in 2015, for example – but Lyon were without 11 key players early on from last season, and that's it. much more than just normal wear and tear. What we are seeing is cumulative fatigue and it just takes players talking about it themselves.
“Now we get to October and the girls are like, ‘I’m tired,’ because they’re wearing so much stuff from the previous season,” Williamson said. “We're driving ourselves into the ground with this, so a solution has to be found quickly, in terms of timing, otherwise it's not sustainable.
“I don't want football to get to a point in 10 years where it's actually a 40-man team and it's kind of like the NFL. [which allows unlimited substitutions]or you have a first half team and a second half team, because we have to rotate because no player can maintain that all year round.
With a change to FIFA's international match schedule this year, national teams will reconvene and play two matches in July, just before the Olympics. Although some domestic leagues play during the summer (in Scandinavia and the United States, for example), for those that use a September-May schedule, this window falls when players should get some breathing room.
Fatigue is felt far beyond heavy legs and overworked muscles, because the lack of free time also leads to mental exhaustion. The schedule just doesn't allow players to decompress and switch off.
In a Guardian column earlier this week, Norwegian and Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg, named UEFA Women's Player of the Year in 2016 at the age of 21 and then Ballon d'Or winner in 2018, wrote: “A lot We were looking for let’s consider this summer a summer of liberation – for our body and our mind.
“There are many different causes of injuries, but if we overwork players, don't give them the appropriate rest and recovery time, and don't provide them with the setup that can match the level of demands placed on them physically and mentally, then the risk to players' health increases exponentially.”
In recent years, women's soccer players have seen injuries rise alongside increased workload, from muscular issues suggesting overload to more serious, much more complex ACL tears. (“Step By Step” – a documentary series released by Arsenal which chronicles the rehabilitation of Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema – provides incredible insight into the mental side as well as the physical side.)
The minutes continue to pile up and, despite their claims about the schedule and increased player workloads, FIFA and UEFA only seem to be cramming more games into a congested schedule. From the promise of a Women's Club World Cup to another tweak to the Champions League that will introduce a secondary competition (an equivalent to the Europa League), the powers that be have made their position more than clear on the importance they attach to the well-being of players. in relation to the increase in income. But things cannot continue as they are.
In Williamson’s words: “It’s impossible. It's not sustainable. »
