18 September: Chelsea Women have introduced an expanded maternity and family support program aimed at giving players more financial security and practical help during pregnancy, parenthood and their return to elite football.
The package goes beyond basic maternity leave, with private scans and birthing options, physical and mental postpartum support, subsidized childcare and financial help for a partner or nanny to travel to away matches for up to a year after a player’s return.
Adoption and parental leave policies have also been expanded.
The move follows Chelsea’s recent partnership with Fertility Plus, which saw the creation of a fund to provide financial support to players exploring fertility treatment and other family-building options.
Chelsea go beyond the minimal protections that are already in place throughout the game. FIFA regulations guarantee maternity leave and protections around a player’s return to football, while the governing body has expanded its framework in recent years to include adoption, non-biological mothers and greater support for pregnancy and family life.
Chelsea’s policy delves deeper into the practical issues that come next: childcare, travel, recovery and balancing a professional football schedule with having a young child.
It also comes during a wider push to build Chelsea Women as a more autonomous elite sporting operation. From this season, all of the club’s WSL home games will be played at Stamford Bridge, rather than splitting with Kingsmeadow, similar to Arsenal.
Aki Mandhar, CEO of Chelsea FC Women, said: “There is no one way to become a parent, and our responsibility is to ensure our players have access to the support, safety and care they deserve, whatever their individual journey. Our enhanced player maternity policy, alongside our adoption, parental leave and fertility support, is designed to support our players with confidence.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)
