Overview
- A partnership announced Wednesday between the NWSL and its players' union brings the league into Project ACL at a launch held at Nike’s New York headquarters.
- The player-focused study begins in June 2026 and runs for three years, collecting anonymized data on workload, travel, and “critical zone” matches with fewer than five days of recovery.
- NWSL data will feed into FIFPRO’s Player Workload Monitoring tool, with research led alongside Nike and Leeds Beckett University in what organizers call the first multi-league study of its kind.
- The expansion builds on a WSL pilot that surveyed staff at all 12 clubs and interviewed more than 30 players to map resources, prevention strategies, and lived experiences.
- Organizers cite higher ACL risk for women and many non-contact tears, while recent NWSL growth to 16 clubs and more midweek games has raised concerns that findings could drive changes beyond current CBA minimums.