Clubs in Europe's top five leagues incurred a staggering €732m (£610m) in wages paid to injured players last season, marking an increase from previous years and a figure recorded before the effects of an expanded club calendar were fully realized.
Bundesliga clubs lead the list in terms of the most injuries, with a total of 90,547 days lost to injury across the top divisions in Germany, England, Spain, Italy, and France. The annual Howden's Men's European Football Injury Index presents alarming figures for all these competitions, as the debate over fixture congestion and player workload intensifies.
While Premier League clubs lost fewer players and minutes to injury compared to their counterparts, the severity of injuries—measured by the number of days missed per injury—was higher than in Germany, Spain, and Italy. The average length of injury layoffs for under-21 players was even more significant, at 43.92 days, nearly double the average convalescence in La Liga, which stands at 23.03 days.
James Burrows, the head of sport at insurance brokers Howden, emphasized that the report highlights "the ever-increasing physical demands" on professional players. "As fixture congestion intensifies with expanded competitions both domestically and internationally, we are witnessing more players being sidelined for longer periods, with a notable 5% rise in injury costs this season alone," he noted.
Regarding injuries among younger players, Burrows pointed out that earlier figures were attributed to the effects of Covid on squad composition. "I'm not entirely sure what's driving the current trend," he said. "Traditionally, the insurance industry has viewed older players as riskier due to longer recovery times. However, what we're seeing now seems to challenge that perspective."
Howden acts as an insurance broker for several clubs and governing bodies. Their annual research compiles publicly available injury data and matches it against salary calculations by Sporting Intelligence. The fourth edition of their report documents a total of 4,123 injuries across the five divisions.
Although the number of injuries is at a "record high," according to Burrows, the rate of growth has slowed, indicating a "levelling off" after a surge in injuries post-Covid and the 2022 mid-season World Cup. Burrows cautioned against drawing "binary conclusions" from the data, noting that German football, despite having an 18-team division and the longest winter break, records the most injuries.
One area of growing concern for clubs is the impact of absences due to mental health issues or anxiety. Burrows highlighted that this is an increasingly important focus for both clubs and insurers. "A major topic of discussion in our industry, not just in football but across the sports and entertainment sectors, is how we develop products to address these types of issues," he stated.
