'Pregnancy should not signal the end of a footballer's career': New guidance addresses gap in support

Updated guidance to help players and club staff better manage pregnancy has been released by FIFPRO.

The Postpartum Return to Play Guide, consisting of 48 pages, was developed by a task force of women’s players who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth during their career, including Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir, Crystal Dunn, Cheyna Matthews and Almuth Schult. 

"For such a varied and complex subject matter, there is very little accessible guidance for players to follow - an issue that we hope this guide can begin to remedy," said Dr Alex Culvin, FIFPRO director of policy and strategic relations for women's football. 

"For most professional players, their prime performance years will overlap significantly with their peak window of fertility. As a result, players will continue to seek to start a family during their playing careers with the desire to then return to their work."

The FIFA Maternity Regulations, which were introduced in January 2021 after pressure from FIFPRO, have been in place to protect the rights of players who become pregnant during their careers. 

The newest guidance was formulated after FIFPRO recognised there was a lack of readily available advice and knowledge within professional football. 

Speaking about the impact of the new advice, Gunnarsdottir said: "These guidelines are so important to try to ease the pressure on players. If I put myself in a player's position right now after this guide has come out, I would feel more at ease, more confident if I would get pregnant or if I wanted to get pregnant."

The news comes after AC Milan put the well-being of new mothers at the top of their priority list earlier this month, becoming the first club in Europe to guarantee contract renewals for players who become pregnant in the final year of their deals, also committing to helping with childcare and expenses.

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