In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole speaks with Copa, physical therapist for the Houston Dash, about the real-world process of returning elite footballers to performance after pregnancy. Copa shares how she developed a postpartum RTP framework after managing three pro-player cases back-to-back, and what clinicians can do, especially in resource-limited women's sport settings, to support postpartum athletes safely and confidently.

Topics include:

• Early postpartum priorities and tissue healing considerations

• Pelvic floor cueing and progression into impact, sprinting, and sport demands

• Structuring return to run + strength training, and why recovery drives decisions

• Progressing workload week to week (when to repeat, when to push)

• Readiness for team training, contact exposure, and match minutes using key metrics

• The overlooked essentials: fueling demands (including breastfeeding), fatigue, and long-term monitoring

Register for the Soccer Performance Support Summit! Early bird registration ends on December 20th, 2025!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole speaks with Vittoria Marin of Isokinetic Medical Group to unpack what we truly know about ACL injuries in female footballers, and how clinicians can translate that knowledge into smarter, more individualized rehab.

Vittoria discusses her recent publication on ACL injuries in women's football and shares insights from her clinical experience across the full rehab spectrum, from early post-op care to advanced neuromuscular and movement-quality training in Isokinetic's "green room." She highlights the anatomical, biomechanical, hormonal, and cultural factors that shape injury risk, and explains how understanding how an athlete tore their ACL should meaningfully influence rehabilitation planning.

Topics include:

• Why non-contact mechanisms are so common in women's football

• The importance of reverse-engineering the injury mechanism

• Integrating neuromuscular and neurocognitive training throughout rehab

• How training age, resource allocation, and cultural norms influence movement quality

• Seven priority areas for improving ACL outcomes in the women's game

This episode provides actionable tools and thoughtful perspectives for any practitioner working in female athlete health, rehab, or performance.

Register for the Soccer Performance Support Summit! Early bird registration ends on December 20th, 2025!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

Lorena Sumser joins the show to share lessons from a global career across Germany, France, and Scotland. Lorena has worked in the private sector, the Bayern Munich Academy, FFC Wacker München, the German U20 and U23 National Teams, OL Féminin, and now Rangers FC Women, where she serves as the Lead Physical Performance Coach.

We dive into the realities of supporting players in different systems, the importance of collaboration between club and national team staff, and how culture and expectations shape the physical preparation of female footballers. Lorena talks through her experiences at World Cup level, what she learned from OL's Champions League environment, and how she approaches player readiness in the Scottish league.

In this episode, we cover:
• Early influences that shaped Lorena's coaching path
• What national team environments teach you about communication and trust
• Navigating the U20 and U23 pathway in Germany
• Managing players with different playing minutes and training histories
• What separates elite performers at OL and why their standards are so high
• The role of culture in gym expectations and strength training
• Moving into a lead role at Rangers and guiding a growing performance department
• The coaching values and principles that stay consistent across environments

This conversation offers practical insight for coaches, physios, strength coaches, and sport scientists working in women's football, or anyone preparing to step into a new environment with different demands and expectations.