“Returning to Play After Giving Birth”: A Guide for Pregnant Players

Many problems face female players in dialogue with their clubs, as some clubs stop their salaries, and this may lead to terminating contracts.

To address these issues, the Professional Footballers’ Association has produced a 48-page guide to help female players and their families. The booklet is titled “Guide to Returning to Play After Childbirth” in light of what FIFPro has discovered is a lack of knowledge in the world of professional football.

The guide covers everything from players’ rights to advice on discussions with clubs to direct physical concerns about sleep, nutrition and training during pregnancy.

The guide also addresses longer-term concerns such as breastfeeding and returning to training and playing at a high level.

“There is a significant disparity, not just in football but in sport in general, where you cannot have a child and be an athlete,” said Alex Colvin, FIFPro’s Director of Policy and Strategic Relations for Women’s Football.

“It would really be a game changer for professional women’s football,” she added.

The guide was written by a team of professional players with children, including former Jamaican striker Chyna Matthews, German goalkeeper Almuth Schulte, American Crystal Dunn and Iceland’s Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, as well as a group of experts in the medical sector.

Source: Media