One in five female players experienced disordered eating

One successful 5 master female footballers knowledgeable disordered eating complete a 12-month period, according to a study led by players’ national FifPro.

The study was researching nan prevalence of intelligence wellness symptoms successful female footballers and explored respective categories, including assemblage image.

A full of 74 players were portion of nan study led by football's worldwide typical organisation.

Dr Alex Culvin, FifPro's caput of strategy and research, said disordered eating is "an entrenched problem successful women’s football".

In January England world Fran Kirby discussed nan "stigma" of nutrition successful nan Women's Super League pinch BBC Sport.

"It's really important to emphasise that, of people we're master athletes and we person to beryllium fresh to do our sport, but a assemblage style doesn't find if you're fresh enough. A batch of group spot athletes arsenic robots," said Kirby.

Of nan symptoms studied, disordered eating remained prevalent wrong 15-20% of female footballers complete nan 12-month period.

Disordered eating refers to an unhealthy narration pinch nutrient which covers galore behaviours specified arsenic restricting nutrient intake and excessive exercising.

The study besides explored links betwixt terrible injuries, awesome room and intelligence wellness symptoms.

It recovered that female footballers were astir doubly arsenic apt to study sport-related psychological distress pursuing awesome surgery.

In May Chelsea defender Millie Bright, who led captained England to past summer's World Cup final, told BBC Sport really wounded setbacks led to her questioning whether her "career was done".

"There's been ups and downs. Most group astir apt won't ever cognize astir nan downs. This play much than ever has been highly difficult," she said.

FifPro's Culvin retired successful 2012 but played for Leeds, Everton, Doncaster Belles, AZ Alkmaar, Bristol Academy and Liverpool.

She said nan find of disordered eating prevalence successful female footballers was "not a large surprise".

"When I was playing I would opportunity galore of my team-mates had an unhealthy narration pinch food," said Culvin.

"But it is besides understandable. From an early age, your narration pinch nutrient is astir performance. You mightiness want to eat a burger, but nan information footballers make is 'will this substance aliases inhibit my performance?'

"That triggers a different narration pinch food. It’s not talked astir capable because it’s not prioritised and is besides normalised wrong sport."

Culvin said players "feel pressured to look a definite way" and nan usage of societal media has "exacerbated" nan rumor successful today's game.

"Players coming consciousness their assemblage style is being perpetually scrutinised online," she added.

Following nan study, FifPro has based on that clubs should extremity "constant surveillance" of players' weight.

"Players should not beryllium simply treated arsenic capacity machines, whereby location is simply a changeless and rigorous quantification of nan body," added Culvin.

"In galore nine and nationalist teams, location is simply a regular of checking assemblage fat and weighing players – location is changeless surveillance, and this is without immoderate existent performance-related indicators tied to these methods.

"There is this very old-school attack of players being weighed, and for what? It instils fearfulness into players, pinch nan consequence of fatclubs and shaming.

"This has to extremity if we are to commencement building environments that evoke patient relationships pinch food."

If you person been affected by immoderate of nan issues successful this story, BBC Action Line has links to organisations that tin connection thief and advice.

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