Laura Holden: ‘I don’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else’

ACL Archives, Football

Laura Holden: ‘I don’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else’

Published by

Jack McRae

on

22nd Jan 2026

_{^{Photograph: Provided by Laura Holden.}}

Original article published in the Guardian. You can read here.

When Laura Holden ruptured her ACL just seven games into her first season with Aberdeen, she was unaware that she would find navigating her relationship with the club her biggest test in the long road to recovery.

Holden claims she was neglected by Aberdeen and members of its coaching and physiotherapy team. She funded her £8,000 operation herself and says she was not given appropriate support throughout her rehabilitation.

Holden says that this ‘destroyed’ her mental health and compelled her, in 2025, to leave the life she had built in Scotland behind.

Now at Swindon and reflecting on a difficult two years in Scotland for the Guardian, Holden feels obligated to speak out about her experience and fears that other players are going through similar experiences in women’s football.

Aberdeen were contacted by the Guardian and sent a list of questions regarding Holden’s recovery but did not want to comment.

You can read the article on the Moving the Goalposts newsletter published today.

Similar Posts