Fit for her: rethinking football boot design to tackle ACL and lower limb Injuries in women's field sports

Abstract

Women's involvement in football and other field sports is on the rise globally, but sports equipment, particularly football boots, continue to be designed predominantly from male anatomical and biomechanical standards. This systematic omission has been a key contributing factor in the excessively elevated rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and ankle sprains among female players, especially at the amateur level where professional injury prevention facilities are not easily accessible (Griffin et al., 2006). This thesis critiques the extent to which male centric designs of football boots contribute to risk of injury to women and the broader implications of design oversight within sports engineering. Employing an interdisciplinary approach based on literature review, injury epidemiology, and primary data gathering, ranging from a survey of amateur female athletes to an expert interview, this research places the lived experience of women forced to adapt to ill-fitting equipment at the forefront. The findings reveal that the vast majority of women players experience discomfort, modify boots for a better fit, and attribute injuries, partially, to the wrong footwear. While recent market introductions of female-specific football boots, the current designs remain inherently faulty, offering cosmetic modifications without addressing the underlying biomechanical needs of women players (Loud et al., 2024; Kryger et al., 2022). In response to the findings of this research and investigation, a female specific football boot is proposed, it prioritises the anatomical and biomechanical needs of female footballers while aiming to reduce lower limb injuries. The methodology applied throughout the thesis incorporates inclusive, evidence-informed principles to challenge systemic design exclusion and advocate for gender equity in sports equipment.