Professional women footballers who have sustained three or more concussions may experience reduced attention span, according to a study led by global players union FIFPRO and released on Thursday.
The research, part of the ongoing 10‑year Drake Football Study, evaluated neurocognitive function in 68 female players.
Players reporting at least three concussions performed "significantly worse" on tasks requiring attention than those with fewer or no previous concussions, the researchers said. In football, those skills are tied to tracking the ball and opponents, maintaining positional awareness and reacting quickly in match situations.
Forty‑three per cent of players surveyed had experienced at least one concussion, with the incidence rate being highest in defenders with 50 per cent sustaining one or more concussions.
"Generally, the study suggests that women footballers do not show widespread cognitive problems during their career, but repeated concussions might have a meaningful impact on attention," FIFPRO Medical Director Vincent Gouttebarge said.
Further research, he added, is needed to determine whether new health recommendations should be introduced.
The players performed within the normal range for the general population on 11 of 12 cognitive domains, performing above average on motor speed – how quickly the brain can send signals to the body – which researchers attributed to the neuromuscular demands of elite football.
No broad cognitive impairment was identified during the players' active careers.
The findings mirror those from a parallel analysis conducted on male professional players and published in 2024, which also found that repeated concussions were associated with decreases in simple and complex attention, but not in other areas of cognitive function, Gouttebarge said.
"Women's football has historically been under‑represented in sports concussion research, meaning this study contributes valuable, female‑specific evidence," Gouttebarge added.
Despite the lack of widespread deficits, he said the results underscored the need for strict concussion management and return‑to‑play protocols, especially in cases of repeated head injuries.
The Drake Football Study was launched in 2019 in coordination with FIFPRO, and is tracking the physical and mental health of 170 male and female footballers from around the world during and after their careers.