Thursday 8th June
FIFA Women’s World Cup: Protecting against the cost of injury
The quadrennial FIFA Women’s World Cup™ kicks-off on 20 July in New Zealand and will see 32 teams compete on the international stage. The action-packed Australia & New Zealand 2023 match schedule starts with New Zealand-Norway at Auckland’s Eden Park on Thursday, 20 July. The competition has seen four past champions; USA, Germany, Japan and Norway. The most recent World Cup tournaments featured 24 nations, the first just 12, so this is the biggest women’s tournament yet.
Football is the world’s most popular sport, with over 260 million participants globally, of which 30 million are female. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has the ambition of increasing the participation by girls and women in the sport further to 60 million by 2026.
The increased popularity of women’s football is good news for players because it will lead to the increased commercial viability of the sport, which ultimately means increased salaries. It also enables women to pursue football as a full-time career instead of taking second jobs to supplement their income. However, many participants are playing this volume of professional football for the first time in their careers, which means they won’t know the full impact after the tournament.
Increased playing time and the risk of injury
England’s World Cup aspirations were dealt a crushing blow when Captain Leah Williamson (27) was ruled out of the tournament in April after Arsenal announced that she needed surgery. Williamson’s knee was injured after a simple challenge in her club’s WSL game against Manchester United in April, showing how unexpected injuries can occur when least expected. The central defender is now out of action for the rest of the season.
The World Cup is the most demanding tournament for female players yet, with 64 games being played in a month – 12 more than in the France 2019 tournament. With each player running between five and six miles per match, the risk of injury has rarely been higher.
Financial protection for female footballers
Kerry London can provide income reimbursement policies designed to cover the loss of a tournament income for players that get injured playing abroad, to full Permanent Total Disablement (PTD) insurance that covers potential salary earnings should a player suffer an early career-ending injury.
Our sports specialists include ex-sports professionals who have the specialist knowledge to offer the advice you need to get income reimbursement cover in place. Having the right cover in place provides players with financial security should a career-limiting injury happen at home or abroad.
Temporary Total Disablement (TTD) Cover is designed to pay if a sports professional cannot play professionally due to an injury either before or during the competition. There are several options, as follows:
- Pre-tournament cover protects against any injuries sustained before the start of the tournament that would prevent participation in the competition.
- In-tournament cover protects match fees whilst playing in the tournament.
- Pre-tournament and in-tournament cover protects an entire franchise cricket tournament income (less the insurance policy excess) before and during the competition.
Find out more about Kerry London’s income protection cover for sports professionals. Call us for a quote on 01923 211 290, or contact sales@kerrylondon.co.uk.
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