• Posted July 8, 2026

Training Program Could Ward Off Injuries Among Soccer Girls

A targeted training program can help young female soccer players avoid torn knees and other injuries, a new study says.

Girls who play soccer have a higher risk of leg and ankle injuries compared to boys, due to differences in strength and balance, researchers said in background notes.

But a FIFA training program aimed at young players appears to make such injuries less likely, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. FIFA is the organization sponsoring the World Cup soccer tournament.

“Youth female soccer players experience unique risk factors that are not always addressed in traditional training models,” senior researcher Dr. Shari Liberman, an orthopedic surgeon at Houston Methodist, said in a news release.

Female athletes have a higher risk of soccer injuries due to lower hip strength, decreased trunk stability, and other differences that affect their ability to rapidly change direction and speed during play, researchers said.

To see if additional training could counter this risk, researchers had 14 girls ages 8 to 11 participate in the eight-week FIFA 11+ Kids program alongside their regular training. 

The FIFA program focuses on improving young players’ strength, balance and coordination.

The researchers then compared those girls’ performance to 12 other girls who just received the usual team training.

Results showed that the girls who participated in the FIFA program had improvements in dynamic balance — the ability to maintain stability and control while the body is in motion or actively changing positions.

Girls in the FIFA program also had better glute-to-quadriceps strength ratios, which is tied to better leg and ankle stability, the study said.

These results indicate that by focusing on such training at a young age, soccer programs might be able to prevent future injuries in female players, researchers concluded.

“Programs that emphasize neuromuscular control, stability and proper movement patterns at an earlier age may ultimately help reduce knee and ankle injuries in female soccer players,” Liberman said.

However, researchers noted that larger-scale studies are needed to confirm the program’s effectiveness.

More information

The Hospital for Special Surgery has more on preventing injuries among female soccer players.

SOURCES: Houston Methodist, news release, July 6, 2026; Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, April 1, 2026