Howden’s 2023/24 Men’s European football injury index
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Last season saw record highs of 4,123 injuries and €732.02 million in costs incurred.
The number of injuries and their associated costs have been on the rise since 2020/21.
Over these last four seasons, men's teams across the top five European leagues have recorded 14,292 injuries excluding Covid-19, costing €2.3 billion. The 2023/24 figures represent a 4% increase in injury frequency and 5% in the overall costs associated.
In this fourth edition of the award-winning Men's European football injury index, we analyse the effect of injuries on the 96 teams across the top five European leagues over the 2023/24 season.
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.
Costly injuries for the English Premier League
This year's report places emphasis on the English Premier League (EPL), which has consistently faced above-average injury costs, having registered a total cost of €318.8 million across 915 injuries.
The league accounted for accounted for 44% of the total cost across the five leagues we analysed. This proportion has been rising over the past three years.
Fig. 1: English Premier League injury cost vs season average
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.
915
EPL injuries
€318.8m
Total cost
€172,975
Cost per game
€3,698
Injury cost per minute
Overall injury cost and count in Europe
Players were involved in a total of 4,232 games and suffered just under one injury every game (0.97).
An injury was incurred across the top five Men’s European leagues every 92 minutes.
The 96 men’s clubs incurred an average injury cost per game of €172,975 and €1,922 per minute.
Fig. 2: Injuries per 90-minute game
4,232
Total games
0.97
Injuries per game
€172,975
Injury cost per game
Young players are feeling the strain
A key area of concern we've identified in the report is the injurity severity in players under the age of 21. Young players are spending more time on the sidelines because of injuries – up 187% since 2020/21.
We highlighted this trend in the second edition of our Men's European football injury index.
Surprisingly, the season that recorded the lowest increase in severity aligned with the season in which players competed in the inaugural mid-season FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Fig. 3: Average days our for players under 21
187%
Increase in injury severity in U21 players since 2020/21
44
Average days sidelined per injury in England (U21)
38
Average days sidelined per injury in Italy (U21)
Read the full report
You can read the full Men's European football injury index below, or click here to download the PDF.