Howden’s 2023/24 Men’s European Football Injury Index reveals record injury rates across Europe’s top men’s leagues amid concerns of fixture congestion and expanding competitions

15 October 2024, London – Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, has today published the fourth edition of its award-winning Men’s European Football Injury Index following the 2023/24 season. The report highlights a continued rise in injuries across Europe’s top five men’s leagues, setting new records for both injury frequency and associated costs.

The key findings of this year’s Injury Index show that 4,123 injuries were recorded during the 2023/24 season across the top five men’s European Leagues, a 4% increase from the previous season, whilst the total cost of these injuries reached EUR 732.02 million, representing a 5% rise. Over the last four seasons, clubs within the top five men’s European leagues have suffered a total of 14,292 injuries, resulting in a significant burden of EUR 2.3 billion in injury costs.

The latest Injury Index is published amid growing concerns around fixture congestion, with several players having recently raised alarms over the increasing physical demands, and some threatening strike action. 

English Premier League (EPL) insights 

The report places particular emphasis on the English Premier League (EPL), which has consistently faced above-average injury costs:

• EPL injury costs accounted for 44% of the total across the five leagues studied, up from 42% in 2022/23.
• The EPL registered 915 injuries at a total cost of EUR 318.8 million.
• Injury frequency in the EPL was particularly stark, with clubs experiencing an injury every 94 minutes of competitive football, at a cost of EUR 3,698 per minute.

Wolves and Crystal Palace were the only EPL teams of those that competed in each of the previous four seasons to record below-average injury levels on each occasion. Conversely, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have all experienced injury levels consistently above the league average.

Across Europe: frequency and cost of injuries

Across the top five men’s leagues, injuries occurred every 92 minutes of play in the 2023/24 season. Players from the 96 clubs competed in 4,232 games, and injuries averaged 0.97 per game, costing teams an average of EUR 172,975 per game and EUR 1,922 per minute.

Notably, clubs including Darmstadt from the Bundesliga endured an injury on average every 33 minutes, while Ligue 1’s Toulouse reported the longest stretch between injuries on average, with one injury every 338 minutes. Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also faced significant injury costs, with injury frequency well above the Bundesliga average.

Young players feeling the strain

Amid concerns about the amount of minutes young footballers are expected to play, a key area of concern identified in the report was the rising injury severity among players under the age of 21:

• In the 2023/24 season, U21 players in the EPL were sidelined for an average of 44 days per injury, a 187% increase compared to the 2020/21 season.
• Italian and English U21 players experienced the most significant rise in injury severity, with the average sidelined period in Serie A reaching 35.16 days.

James Burrows, Head of Sport at Howden, commented: “The 2023/24 Howden Men’s European Football Injury Index underscores the ever-increasing physical demands on players. As fixture congestion intensifies with expanded competitions domestically and internationally, we are seeing more players sidelined for longer periods, with a notable 5% rise in injury costs this season alone.

"Our data captures the demands of modern football and we hope it serves as a valuable tool for players, clubs and governing bodies in their ongoing discussions. At Howden, we remain committed to supporting clubs and players by offering innovative insurance solutions and data-driven strategies to mitigate the rising costs and frequency of injuries."

The full 2023/24 Men’s European Football Injury Index report, including comprehensive analysis of injury data across Europe’s top leagues, is available below.