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November 17, 2022

Anna Murray 

Using Boots and Balls Made for Male Players Could Put Women at An Increased Risk of Injury

A group of sports and exercise researchers, doctors, and staff members from the elite women's football game, including Captain of the England women's football team Leah Williamson, point out the need for more kit and technology specifically made for women's needs and body shapes in an article published November 16 in the journal Sport Engineering.

The profile and popularity of women's football in the UK has soared since England won Euro 2022. However, most products are still predominantly designed for men's football and little attention has been paid to the requirements of the women's game. Sports experts are calling attention to the lack of women's football kit, warning that using boots and balls made for male players could put them at an increased risk of injury.

According to the article "Ten questions in sports engineering: technology in elite women's football," women's feet, heels, and arches differ from men's in shape and volume. Elite female athletes are developing stress fractures and blisters from wearing boots made for men. Thus, the need for women-specific football technology and engineering is growing along with elite women's football, and this article has given researchers and manufacturers motivation and insight into how to tackle the issue.