Laura Holden's harrowing experience at Aberdeen FC serves as a stark reminder of the darker side of women's football. The midfielder, who suffered a devastating ACL injury in Scotland just six months into her first season with the club, claims she was left feeling "neglected" and unsupported by both the coaching staff and teammates.
The Scottish Women's Premier League has long been touted as one of the top-tier leagues for women's football, but Holden's story paints a picture of an environment where players are often overlooked or undervalued. Despite her efforts to navigate the club's complexities, Holden found herself struggling with mental health issues, which she attributes to the lack of support and resources available to her during her rehab.
The situation took a turn for the worse when new coach Scott Booth appointed, only to tell Holden that he wanted her to go on loan to another club just days after her return to training. This decision left Holden feeling "written off" and made her question whether she was truly valued by the team.
Holden's experience raises important questions about the culture of women's football in Scotland. While there are undoubtedly many talented players, coaches, and administrators working tirelessly behind the scenes, it is clear that more needs to be done to address the systemic issues that often plague female athletes.
One major concern is the lack of support for injured players like Holden. The club's decision not to pay her wages while she was out injured, forcing her to shell out £8,000 for her own surgery, highlights a worrying disconnect between the player and the team.
Moreover, Holden's experience underscores the importance of creating safe spaces for players to speak up about their concerns without fear of retribution. It is clear that Holden felt isolated and unsupported during her time at Aberdeen, which ultimately led to her departure from the club.
As Holden so poignantly puts it: "I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else." Her story is a powerful reminder of the need for greater transparency, accountability, and support within women's football. Anything less would be a disservice to the talented athletes who deserve better.
The Scottish Women's Premier League has long been touted as one of the top-tier leagues for women's football, but Holden's story paints a picture of an environment where players are often overlooked or undervalued. Despite her efforts to navigate the club's complexities, Holden found herself struggling with mental health issues, which she attributes to the lack of support and resources available to her during her rehab.
The situation took a turn for the worse when new coach Scott Booth appointed, only to tell Holden that he wanted her to go on loan to another club just days after her return to training. This decision left Holden feeling "written off" and made her question whether she was truly valued by the team.
Holden's experience raises important questions about the culture of women's football in Scotland. While there are undoubtedly many talented players, coaches, and administrators working tirelessly behind the scenes, it is clear that more needs to be done to address the systemic issues that often plague female athletes.
One major concern is the lack of support for injured players like Holden. The club's decision not to pay her wages while she was out injured, forcing her to shell out £8,000 for her own surgery, highlights a worrying disconnect between the player and the team.
Moreover, Holden's experience underscores the importance of creating safe spaces for players to speak up about their concerns without fear of retribution. It is clear that Holden felt isolated and unsupported during her time at Aberdeen, which ultimately led to her departure from the club.
As Holden so poignantly puts it: "I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else." Her story is a powerful reminder of the need for greater transparency, accountability, and support within women's football. Anything less would be a disservice to the talented athletes who deserve better.
. And being told to go on loan to another club just days after returning to training? That's super unfair 
. We need more support for female athletes, especially those going through tough times like Holden did. It's crazy that players are often left feeling neglected and unsupported by their teams. The Scottish Women's Premier League needs to do better 
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it's no wonder she struggled with mental health issues... like, what even is the point of having a support system if you're gonna ignore them? 
and can we talk about how broken our women's football leagues are? I mean, Scotland has all this talent but still can't seem to get it together 
at least Laura spoke out about what happened... now hopefully her story will make a difference 
its like they were trying to punish her for getting hurt? 
any club or organization should have a system in place to support players during rehab, not just leave them hanging 
.
I think Holden's experience is way more common than we'd like to admit. Like, I've seen players get pushed out because they're 'over the hill' or not making the team anymore, but nobody talks about how hard it can be to deal with that stress and pressure when you're injured 
. And £8k for surgery? Come on, what a joke! The clubs should be paying those wages, not forcing players to shell out their own money 
. Anything less would be a total waste of talent 
. I mean, paying her £8,000 out of pocket for surgery? That's just not right 
. The coaching staff and teammates should have been supporting Holden during her rehab, not just discarding her when she wasn't performing as expected. It's like they were more concerned with maintaining a certain image than doing what's right for the player.
Like, they're trying to heal from an ACL injury which is tough enough, but then they got dropped by the team just days after coming back and told to go on loan... I mean, that's just harsh 
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think abt laura holden's situation & its like a red flag 4 every player in womens football - ur injured, u r struggling w mental health, but u r not getting the support u need & still u got played by the team 
. I mean, £8k out of pocket for surgery? that's just ridiculous, & not gettin support while she was rehabbin is just cruel 
. this ain't just about Laura Holden, it's about all the girls out dere who might b goin thru the same 
. paying £8k out of pocket for surgery is just not right 
... players should be prioritized over profits 
. hope her story can spark change & not just another athlete getting written off 