Children and career: female footballers embrace their goals

Women soccer players once felt they had to put off motherhood until their playing days were over. Now some families are starting in mid-career, with lingering resentment at their clubs replaced by FIFA-enforced policy.

Pregnant players also faced pay cuts or unpaid wages, threats, partial maternity cover and dismissal. FIFA published new rules only in 2021 and now the situation is changing.

“Before being footballers, we are women first and foremost,” said Cameroon international defender Claudine Fallon Mfometou, who plays for French first division club Fleury and gave birth to a daughter in May 2021.

“Being a mother changes my life and the way I look at things and the way I behave,” she said in an interview to AFP on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Wednesday.

“For a long time, many girls who wanted to start a family told themselves that their contract was going to end. Most waited until the end of their careers to have children,” said the 32-year-old.

“Today, things are different, and it feels good.”

Mafometou said she received constant support from her club during her pregnancy. And even though she was away for 10 months, Fleury offered her a contract extension into 2021.

Icelandic player Sarah Björk Gunnarsdottir had a less-than-positive experience at one of the world’s leading women’s clubs – and her case led to a landmark verdict this January.

Gunnarsdottir’s wages were slashed by Lyon, the eight-time European women’s champion, when she became pregnant in 2021, and she said her bosses showed little understanding when she returned to training after her baby.

In an article for the Players’ Tribune, Gunnarsdottir described how one of Lyon’s directors failed to respond to his representatives until he filed a formal complaint after he had not been paid for two months.

When Gunnarsdottir turned to players’ union FIFPRO for help, she claimed she was told by Lyon that her career at the club would be over if she took the matter any further.

Gunnarsdottir, who is now with Italian giants Juventus, eventually won his case at the FIFA tribunal and Lyon was ordered to pay him 82,000 euros ($87,000) plus interest.

She wrote, “The victory felt bigger than me.” “It felt like a guarantee of financial security for all players who want to have children during their careers.”

Her case drew support from former Ballon d’Or winner Megan Rapinoe. The American called Lyon’s approach “utterly outrageous”.

In the United States, maternity rights are written into players’ contracts in an agreement between national team players and the American Federation.

‘peace of mind’

But at the highest level, the combination of a sports career and children is relatively rare.

Of the 3,500 players involved in major championships questioned by FIFPRO in 2017, just two per cent had children – and just eight per cent of those players received maternity allowance from their club or their federation.

Things got better in 2021 when FIFA published new rules that mean international federations guarantee a minimum of 14 weeks of maternity leave, of which at least eight weeks must be taken after the birth. In addition, players should receive at least two-thirds of their salary.

Importantly, in light of Gunnarsdottir’s experience, clubs have an obligation to re-integrate the player into the squad and should be given the opportunity to breastfeed – and clubs must provide suitable facilities to do so.

Leading clubs are slowly adapting to the needs of their female players – and after an unhappy experience for Gunnarsdottir, Lyon are trying to do better with midfielder Emel Mazari, who gave birth to daughter Miriam last July.

“The club allowed me to travel to matches with Maryam and her nanny,” Mazari said upon his return to the team in January.

“It gives me peace of mind and allows me to fully do my job as a player … and I can spend all my time with my daughter.”

The French federation is working on a plan to allow Mazri to take her daughter to Australia for the Women’s World Cup later this year.

“Even a few years ago it was something that seemed so inaccessible, we didn’t talk about it,” Estelle Cascarino, another France international, told AFP.

“Now everyone is learning how to deal with such cases. They are examples, pioneers.

There is still a lot of progress to be made. For example, FIFA’s new terms have yet to be implemented at the national level in France.

And when Italian women’s football turned professional last year, only then were players given full maternity cover. Until then, the cover was partial.

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