Although limited research has focused specifically on how football pitches affect female athletes, extensive data has been collected on pitch conditions in general.
Experts have studied various factors, including surface traction, hardness, ball bounce height, rolling distance, and shock absorption.
Neil Rodger, principal consultant at STRI Group—a company specializing in sports surface development—acknowledges the need for more targeted research to explore any potential link between pitch conditions and injury risk in female footballers.
“We’ve never differentiated between men’s and women’s football when designing pitches,” Rodger told BBC Sport. “We’ve always just designed football pitches.”
He emphasized that injuries in both men’s and women’s football are influenced by a wide range of factors, including training load, sleep quality, physiological differences, and hormonal variations.
“The pitch is one of many contributing factors. Historically, both men’s and women’s games have seen unsafe pitch conditions, but in the modern game, especially at the elite level, this is rarely the case,” he said.
Rodger pointed out that in leagues like the Premier League, pitch standards are exceptionally high, thanks to skilled groundskeeping teams. However, he stressed that more research is needed to determine whether subtle differences exist in what constitutes an ideal pitch for men versus women.
He also noted that the increased use of shared stadiums could affect pitch quality due to overuse. “Arsenal Women, for instance, play many of their matches at the Emirates Stadium, and the grounds crew maintains the pitch to the same high standard as for the men’s team,” he said.
“Still, regardless of whether it’s men’s or women’s football, more games on a pitch mean more wear and tear. That naturally impacts surface quality and increases the need for maintenance. It’s definitely a factor worth considering.”