Dutch girl footballers tackle crippling knee injuries

AMSTERDAM – Esmee Stuut, 15, sprints between cones on a football pitch in the Netherlands, her every movement captured on camera as part of a study into a crippling knee injury that affects girls more than boys.

Cruciate ligament injuries can rule out a footballer for several months and teenage girls are especially at risk – for physical and mental reasons.

The study Esmee, a youth striker at FC Groningen in the north of the country, is taking part in aims to improve the movement of female teenage footballers like her.

“A lot of girls of my age have had it. I’m happy to be able to do my bit to help out,” the young player told AFP, breathless from the sprinting exercise.

The Netherlands is a hotbed for women’s football, with the national team crowned European Champions in 2017 and reaching the World Cup Final in 2019.

The small country has 175,000 women club members, with the figure constantly rising. France, for example, has just over 250,000 for a much bigger population.

“Girls are between four to eight times more likely to get injured than boys at puberty,” said Anne Benjaminse, a professor and sports science specialist at Groningen University.

“The difference starts at around 12.”

And the problem is not just physical – Benjaminse is also looking into the mental health aspect which she believes plays a major role.

Girls mature at different times to boys, ligaments are more fragile during periods. Add to this stress, mood, and fatigue and you get a potent cocktail that results in injury.

“Divorce, death, moving around, but also a bad grade at school, an argument. These are small things to us but are big problems for them that can contribute to physical injury,” Benjaminse told AFP.

Her study, run in co-ordination