PUSHING THE GAME FORWARD: PUMA UNVEILS SPECIAL PITCH IN SYDNEY AND ANNOUNCES ITS INVESTMENT INTO AN ACL RESEARCH STUDY

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HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY, JULY 26, 2023

PUMA is celebrating this summer’s Women’s World Cup™ by accelerating its commitment to the future of women’s football, investing in the next generation of athletes, pioneering innovative women-centric product design, and committing to crucial health and safety research.

At the heart of this commitment, PUMA launched an immersive experience on Cockatoo Island in Sydney, Australia. A select group of next generation players participated in a four-day program that served as a special edition of PUMA's unique Accelerator Program. With the guidance from experts such as former national team players Baraba Cox (NZ) and Trixie Tagg (AUS), the initiative aimed to build on the legacy of ground-breaking players from the 1975 AsianCup and accelerate the careers of the next generation of female athletes. The event also gavethe trailblazing OG women, who paved the way for women’s football in Oceania the fanfare and recognition they deserved – to learn more visit here.

PUMA is leading the football industry in product innovation, being the first global brand to offer football boots with a women-specific fit and across all three of its collections – FUTURE, ULTRA, and KING. Launched in 2021 the women’s specific fit, adopted by over 95% of all PUMA sponsored professional female players, underlines PUMA’s commitment to providing the best possible equipment for female athletes.

“Research into the anatomy of the female and male foot, combined with cross comparison fit testing, formed the basis of our women-specific football boots,” said Stephanie Vieira, Senior Product Line Manager Teamsport Footwear, PUMA. “Based on our findings we developed the women’s fit boots with a lower instep, along with reduced volume in the midfoot and the forefoot to create a better fitting boot for female athletes, that is tailored to the anatomical shape of the female foot.”

PUMA is also furthering its commitment to the health and safety of female athletes by announcing their investment in a research study that will further explore ACL injuries in women's football. Female players are known to be between 2-10 times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than their male counterparts. This research aims to delve into these injuries' complex dynamics and develop effective training programs with the aim to reduce the risk for female athletes.

One of the paramount outcomes of this research is to further develop PUMA’s women-specific football boots that were launched two years ago. The ongoing research will help to continuously improve the offering for athletes and will be designed considering the unique risk factors identified in ACL injuries in women's football. PUMA aims to transform these findings into practical solutions, undergoing rigorous testing and validation in collaboration with their partners (clubs and players).

"PUMA's commitment to women's football goes beyond the pitch. We're are investing in a comprehensive research study with our partners into ACL injuries in women's football, aiming to understand the risks, develop training programs, and enhance our women's fit football boots. We're dedicated to nurturing athletes, driving innovation, and ensuring player health and safety. The findings of the research will continue to influence our product moving forward and will support the objective with our PUMA partners in helping to reduce the risk of ACL injuries in the women’s game. As a brand PUMA exists to promote equality, identify challenges and work together with our partners to reduce barriers to women playing sport.” - Maria Valdes, Chief Product Officer, PUMA.

PUMA announced the research study at Cockatoo Island, Sydney, in a special panel talk at the newly opened PUMA pitch that hosted initiatives and programs during the start of the Women’s World Cup™.

At the event PUMA and the Institute of Health and Sport at Victoria University in Australia discussed their published insights into the aspects of sports uniforms that prevent or discourage girls to participate in sport. The research gives insights into girls preferences for sports uniforms with the aim to drive further progress within the entire sports industry by pushing performance apparel towards more insight-driven, inclusive designs and igniting conversation around uniform policies. To read more visit here.

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Background on ACL injuries:

• ACL injuries are considered among the most traumatic and debilitating injuries an athlete can sustain in team sport.

• Statistics indicate that only 63-81% of athletes return to the same level of competition following an ACL injury.

• The probability of an athlete tearing their ACL doubles after the first tear.

• In the long term, the probability of developing knee osteoarthritis within the next 10 to 15 years following an ACL injury increases by 20-50%.

• Women have been disproportionately affected by ACL injuries compared with their male counterparts since data began being recorded in the 1990s.

• Female soccer players have been shown to have between 2-10 times higher risk of ACL injury than their male counterparts.

• Historically, ACL research in sports science has been heavily focused on sex-based biological factors ("intrinsic" influences) at the expense of cultural and environmental ("extrinsic") factors. In reality, these two factors are deeply intertwined.

• Successful training programs aimed at preventing ACL injuries often target reducing knee moments.

• When girls and women participate in dedicated training programs, they experience a significant 67% decrease in non-contact ACL injuries. However, application suffers due to adherence levels.

Source: Parsons JL, Coen SE, Bekker S. Anterior cruciate ligament injury: towards a gendered environmental approach. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2021;55:984-990.