ACL Reconstruction Surgery

A torn ACL; one injury that every footballer dreads.

On Wednesday, 1st March 2023, that dreaded nightmare became a reality for me (once again).

It was a night game. Selsey vs Southampton Women - the latter being a former club of mine. It’s the 80th minute and I’ve run to close down a rolling ball, planted, pivoted, and that’s when I heard the pop. Within that split second, I knew exactly what had happened.

Following my MRI scan, the result confirmed the full injury. The result - a fully ruptured ACL - only consolidated my fear, the seriousness of the situation and the future of my planning career more.

So, you may be thinking why are we here? If I want to return to my best fitness levels and play at any level of competitive football, my only option is to get private surgery, as the waiting list for NHS treatment and recovery is 6-8 months (plus!). After exploring private options, the cost totals nearly £8,000. Which is a lot of money!

Due to my career as a college lecturer in Sports and Physical Education/Special Educational Needs and Disabilities paired with caring commitments to my mum, taking the private route into surgery and completing my recovery as soon as possible is not only the best option to get me back out on the pitch but it’ll also enable me to live my life as it was pre-injury.

My current football club, Selsey Women FC, who play in The FA Women’s National League Division One South West, will be hosting a fundraising challenge and event on Sunday 7th, May 2023.

The challenge will see my teammates run, cycle and walk a combined amount of the distance of our furthest away trip this season (St Austell), which equates to 552 miles in a maximum time of 12 hours! The team will be signposting the route over on the club’s socials, so if you can, please come out, cheer them on and support in any way possible.

The game of football is such a massive part of my life and always has been since I started playing as a little girl. Any donations, however big or small, to support me and my recovery journey back to the pitch would be so appreciated.

This isn’t just a personal injury and a self-pity party. I’m certainly not the only one. Female footballers are six times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than males, with countless numbers of top-flight WSL & International players being ruled out this season alone. That said, I appreciate not everyone can donate money, but to keep the conversation in the spotlight, it would be fantastic if everyone could share, repost and comment so we can help spread the word further and hope to find the right solution!

A big thank you in advance.

Lauren x