Schedule must change for player safety
Manchester City forward Vivianne Miedema has criticised the women's football schedule, and called for those in charge of the calendar to make changes prioritising "players' physical and mental safety".The 28-year-old is having rehabilitation after suffering a potentially season-ending hamstring injury while on international duty for the Netherlands at the beginning of April.Earlier this season she was sidelined for more than three months with a knee injury, while in her final two seasons at Arsenal she only made eight Women's Super League (WSL) appearances after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee in December 2022.Writing on Instagram, Miedema said: "It took me a couple of days to get my head around being injured again and to find the needed motivation to start rehab."I've been really impatient and I want it to go quicker, but maybe that's because I finally felt like myself again out there and I enjoyed being on the pitch even though games come quick and hard."I will say this over and over again. To the people in charge of the football calendar, it is time to realise the current schedule will need to change for players' physical and mental safety."
Miedema's Manchester City have been immersed in the busy schedule of late, playing eight matches in 29 days throughout March as they competed in four competitions.She featured in all eight before sustaining her injury during the Netherlands' Women's Nations League match with Austria on 8 April, having also played for the national side four days earlier. Including Miedema, manager Nick Cushing's side have nine first-team players out injured or, in the cases of Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp, only recently returning to training following long-term absences. However, concerns about the schedule and player safety are not restricted to Manchester City. In April 2024, players' union Fifpro and the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) launched a collaboration with Leeds Beckett University to accelerate research into reducing ACL injuries in women's football. ACL injuries are two to six times more likely to occur in women than men, and about two-thirds of them in women's football happen when there is no physical contact. However, there is limited understanding of how to reduce their frequency in the professional game. Last July, meanwhile, Fifpro, together with top European leagues, launched legal action against world governing body Fifa over its "abuse of dominance" in the game. They filed a complaint to the European Commission to protect player welfare following pressure from leagues and player unions over the number of matches added to the calendar.
Head here to get involved
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
7 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Palace co-owner John Textor would sell shares for Europa League chance
The American, whose Eagle Football Group owns 43 per cent of Palace, has imperilled the club's chance of a first-ever European campaign owing to his involvement with Ligue 1 side Lyon, but is ready to offload his stake to his fellow co-owners in order to bring the saga to an end. UEFA does not allow clubs with the same ownership to compete in the same European competitions in a season. As well as his stake in Palace, the 59-year-old has a controlling stake in the French club, also via Eagle Football. However it is also reported that the European governing body does not consider Textor's influence at Selhurst Park to be decisive and is leaning towards allowing the club into the Europa League regardless. The PA news agency understands no formal decision is likely on Palace's fate until the end of June. Textor has previously spoken of his frustration at how little influence his stake entitles him to, over football matters. Victory for Oliver Glasner's side over Manchester City in last month's FA Cup final gave them their first major trophy and with it a first crack at Europe. However, Nottingham Forest have since written to UEFA to challenge Palace's Europa League spot and in the hope of taking their place. Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Greek side Olympiacos, placed his shares in the club in a blind trust before the governing body's March 1 deadline, anticipating Nuno Espirito Santo's side's European qualification. At present Forest, who finished seventh in last season's Premier League, are set to enter the Conference League but would take Palace's Europa League place, should they be deemed ineligible.
Powys County Times
22 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Palace co-owner John Textor would sell shares for Europa League chance
Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor is willing to sell his shares in the club in order to ensure the Eagles can enter next season's Europa League, according to reports. The American, whose Eagle Football Group owns 43 per cent of Palace, has imperilled the club's chance of a first-ever European campaign owing to his involvement with Ligue 1 side Lyon, but is ready to offload his stake to his fellow co-owners in order to bring the saga to an end. UEFA does not allow clubs with the same ownership to compete in the same European competitions in a season. As well as his stake in Palace, the 59-year-old has a controlling stake in the French club, also via Eagle Football. However it is also reported that the European governing body does not consider Textor's influence at Selhurst Park to be decisive and is leaning towards allowing the club into the Europa League regardless. The PA news agency understands no formal decision is likely on Palace's fate until the end of June. Textor has previously spoken of his frustration at how little influence his stake entitles him to, over football matters. Victory for Oliver Glasner's side over Manchester City in last month's FA Cup final gave them their first major trophy and with it a first crack at Europe. However, Nottingham Forest have since written to UEFA to challenge Palace's Europa League spot and in the hope of taking their place. Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Greek side Olympiacos, placed his shares in the club in a blind trust before the governing body's March 1 deadline, anticipating Nuno Espirito Santo's side's European qualification. At present Forest, who finished seventh in last season's Premier League, are set to enter the Conference League but would take Palace's Europa League place, should they be deemed ineligible.
South Wales Argus
22 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Palace co-owner John Textor would sell shares for Europa League chance
The American, whose Eagle Football Group owns 43 per cent of Palace, has imperilled the club's chance of a first-ever European campaign owing to his involvement with Ligue 1 side Lyon, but is ready to offload his stake to his fellow co-owners in order to bring the saga to an end. UEFA does not allow clubs with the same ownership to compete in the same European competitions in a season. Eberechi Eze scored the winning goal when Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final (Adam Davy/PA) As well as his stake in Palace, the 59-year-old has a controlling stake in the French club, also via Eagle Football. However it is also reported that the European governing body does not consider Textor's influence at Selhurst Park to be decisive and is leaning towards allowing the club into the Europa League regardless. The PA news agency understands no formal decision is likely on Palace's fate until the end of June. Textor has previously spoken of his frustration at how little influence his stake entitles him to, over football matters. Victory for Oliver Glasner's side over Manchester City in last month's FA Cup final gave them their first major trophy and with it a first crack at Europe. Nottingham Forest – who are owned by Evangelos Marinakis – have written to UEFA challenging Palace's involvement in the Europa League (Mike Egerton/PA) However, Nottingham Forest have since written to UEFA to challenge Palace's Europa League spot and in the hope of taking their place. Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Greek side Olympiacos, placed his shares in the club in a blind trust before the governing body's March 1 deadline, anticipating Nuno Espirito Santo's side's European qualification. At present Forest, who finished seventh in last season's Premier League, are set to enter the Conference League but would take Palace's Europa League place, should they be deemed ineligible.
