Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan takes part in UEFA Board discussion on player welfare
Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan (front row, second from left) at the inaugural meeting of the UEFA Football Board
Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan was part of a star-studded panel that took part in the inaugural UEFA Football Board on Monday, which has aimed to improve player welfare across the women’s game.
The Board met in Nyon, Switzerland and discussed a variety of topics, ranging from strategy and refereeing to the match calendar, competitions and player welfare.
Callaghan, who is widely respected within the game, was joined by a host of world class names from across the women’s game in a bid to try and enhance the sport across a variety of areas.
The Cliftonville Ladies midfielder was accompanied by the likes of Spain legend Alexia Putellas, former England legend Karen Carney, Norway striker Ada Hegerberg, two-time European Player of the Year Pernille Harder, France hero Eugénie le Sommer and Italy great Carolina Morace on the panel.
Some of the key topics that were debated included encouraging greater female representation in leadership positions under the post-24 UEFA Women’s Football Strategy, as well as new competition opportunities, player protection, improved academy structures as well as increased support for small and medium-sized national associations.
There was a belief that there needed to be more dialogue around the scheduling of games and the calculation of stoppage time, which “adds additional burden to an already heavy workload”, in a bid to improve player welfare.
The session concluded with positive discussions on the effects of the menstrual cycle on player performance recovery, as well as head injuries and, topically, anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention and recovery.
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