Mia Ross relishing playing return after year out due to ACL injury

Charlton Athletic midfielder fired up for WSL 2 opening fixture against Crystal Palace on Sunday

The start of any football season brings excitement and anticipation. But for Mia Ross, there is extra reason to be hyped for the beginning of Charlton Athletic’s Women’s Super League 2 campaign on Sunday.

The 22-year-old midfielder is set for her first competitive action in more than a year after suffering a ruptured ACL in September 2024.

Ross was only playing in the Professional Game Academy fixture against Arsenal to boost match sharpness while serving a three-game ban after pleading guilty to violent conduct in a 1-0 win over Sunderland in April 2024. Then disaster struck.

Picture: Charlton Athletic Women FC

“I’ve not played a proper game in over a year - like a really, really competitive one,” Ross told South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition. “Pre-season is great, but you want there to be points or promotion and relegation to be involved.

“The game against Arsenal was just meant to be a match to get me going so that it wasn’t a shock if I was going to play minutes again. I got this intuition that it was serious. You can only really describe it if it has happened to you. A lot of people who have had ACL injuries say: ‘You just know you have done it’.

“My first thought was ‘oh no, it’s my knee’. Especially in the women’s game now - those injuries are really increasing rapidly. We are three or four times more likely to do it than male players. It’s crazy to get your head around.

“I actually did a lot of research. I was doing a uni assignment on it. I actually did my dissertation on ACLs and then I’ve gone and done it - that was a bit unlucky!