KNEE INJURIES in female football will be put in the spotlight with a new study to curb the crippling factor in booming Australian Rules ranks.
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An estimated five per cent of women playing in football codes are likely to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament injury each year, according to La Trobe University
La Trobe sports researchers will work with the AFL on a program aimed at curbing injuries.
This move is welcomed by AFL Goldfields female football operations manager Krista Woodroffe, who said there was not enough data to help best direct clubs and leagues in best training and match-day practices in the fast-growing game.
In Goldfields' female competition club trainers are expected to document injuries but this also relied on players accurately volunteering details.
"Definitely the highest injuries in females are knee injuries and concussion but with knee injuries there is no great statistical information," Ms Woodroffe said. "It'll be really good to have an actual study and see what is causing the injuries for females."
Ms Woodroffe said post-isolation injuries were a big concern for female footballers, as for males, but she was particularly concerned about women who might not have done much exercise during lockdowns.
Conditioning in the game and a wide range of technical abilities has been a key concern in the grassroots game with some Ballarat clubs particularly conscious in focusing on protective techniques and spacial awareness.
Former AFL footballers, Shaun Smith and the late Danny Frawley, have been particularly outspoken on concussion and the need for greater protections in the women's game.
Smith, whose career ended with a heavy knock playing for Newlyn, has told The Courier football needed to shed its "warrior" image, particularly where females felt a need to try and prove their toughness in the game.
La Trobe researcher and clinical sports physiotherapist lead Kay Crossley said sports such as Aussie Rules - which involve pivoting, turning, jumping and landing - were proving risky to knees, particularly among young, active women.
"A woman who has had an ACL injury is four to six times more at risk of osteoarthritis than an uninjured woman," Professor Crossley. "A woman with an ACL injury is twice as likely to require a knee joint replacement later in life and is one-and-a-half times more likely to develop chronic cardiovascular disease.
"These longer-term injuries or diseases can have lasting affects one physical and mental health. They also put a burden on our healthcare system,"
Research will evaluate effectiveness of the AFL female Prep to Play program, developed by La Trobe, as a resource for football clubs to guide female training programs.
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Ms Woodroffe hoped research would offer a better chance for females to do the best physical activity and strength training to prepare them for the game.
Female football in the Goldfields region has been re-branded as BFLW for season 2021 to better align with AFLW branding. This includes juniors and youth girls.
Outdoor contact sport, like football, remains barred from adults under the Victorian government's pandemic restrictions and junior contact sport is limited. Groups of up to 10 people can exercise outdoors.
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