Women footballers wearing black shortsImage source, Getty Images
Image caption, Few football products are designed to suit women's needs, including boots, a paper says

The use of boots and balls for male players could be putting them at higher risk of injury according to sports scientists.

There are knee-ligament injuries in women.

No large boot manufacturer has yet invested in a design to suit women despite some progress.

The popularity of women's football in the UK has gone up since England won the European Championship.

Most products are designed for men's football and little attention has been paid to the requirements of the women's game.

A group of sports and exercise researchers, doctors and staff involved in the elite women's game point to the need for more kit and technology tailored to women's needs.

Football boots don't take into account the fact that women's feet, heels and arches are different.

In elite female players, wearing boots that are designed for men can cause blisters.

Women move and run in a different way than men, and yet the length of studs on boots are designed around male movement.

The author and sports rehabilitation lecturer at St Mary's University said that this increases the risk of women getting their boot stuck in the surface.

Men's teams have played on the same surface the day before.

Women's boots are being developed in time for the World Cup.

women footballers heading the ballImage source, Magnum Photos
Image caption, More research is needed on the concussion risk of heading a football, scientists say

A huge burden is placed on the players and the clubs by the fact that anterior cruciate knee injuries are more common in elite female football players.

For elite female football players, it is usually at least 10 months after the injury.

The availability of football players is affected by missing players for longer.

There is a need to design more comfortable and practical sports bras, shorts and hijabs.

Manchester City is one of a number of clubs that have switched to dark-colored shorts for women because of concerns over visible leakage when players are on their period.

The FA wants players to feel supported on this issue and any feedback from women will be fed into future kits.

Technology that tracks health, performance and menstrual cycles needs to be better designed for women as well, according to the authors.

They want more research into the risks of concussions for female players.

The white matter in women's brains is more traumatised than men's.

There could be a medical reason for changing the ball.