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How Milan Women Are Leading The Charge For Improved Maternity Rights In Women's Football

14 Oct, 2024
How Milan Women Are Leading The Charge For Improved Maternity Rights In Women's Football

Women's football has been big business in North America for quite some time, and Europe is only beginning to catch up. But in recent years, we've seen huge strides forward in the way football's authorities and governing bodies treat the women's game. From boosted players' wages and increased funding for professional outfits to significantly improved supporter buy-in for leagues like the WSL and huge broadcasting figures for tournaments such as the World Cup and European Championship, it feels like serious progress has been made.

But there is still a long way to go. Women's football continues to recover from decades of under-investment and there are still many aspects of the game that trail behind the men's sport. On top of this, there are matters to be considered in women's football that simply aren't an issue for men.

One such subject is maternity leave, which has received increased scrutiny in recent times. In this article, we'll be focusing on a particular club and the recent changes they have made to improve the treatment of female players who become pregnant whilst under contract. The club in question is AC Milan.

Maternity Legislation in Women's Football

At the start of June 2024, a new set of FIFA-approved maternity leave protocols began being implemented across women's football. Following the passing of new legislation by the FIFA Council, all players and coaches within national football associations overseen by FIFA (there are 211 of these in total) will have to be given access to at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave if they become pregnant.

Adoptive parents who fall under FIFA control will also get improved access to time off, with players and coaches getting a guaranteed eight weeks of paid leave if they adopt a child younger than two years old, and at least four weeks of paid leave if they adopt a child under four years old.

On top of these changes, other day-to-day challenges faced by female soccer players were also considered; the new FIFA legislation stated that players should receive full play from their clubs in the case of any absence from training and matches caused by menstrual health reasons. The raft of measures has been praised by many people within the world of women's football, including former USWNT coach Jill Ellis, who said "A football career shouldn't exclude being a mum or raising a child. If I didn't have support, I couldn't have maintained my career."

Despite these changes being widely seen as a step in the direction, many experts have also stated that more needs to be done, with FIFPRO's Alexandra Gomez Bruinewold saying: "There is much more to be done to make new mothers comfortable in football… we want players whose contract expires during pregnancy or maternity leave to be able to automatically extend their contract at least to the next transfer window." 

Gomez Bruinewold notes how "this right of extension already exists, for example, in Argentina and Spain, where the extension is for a full year." And now certain sides further afield are following suit, with one pioneering European club grabbing headlines by introducing a groundbreaking new policy relating to player contracts. 

How AC Milan Have Broken Ground In Women's Football Maternity Policy

In August, Italian giants AC Milan became the first club in Europe to guarantee contract renewals for players who become pregnant in the final year of their contracts. After consulting players from both the women's first team and the academy, Milan announced their implementation of the new policy in August and has been roundly praised for doing so. That being said, the club's heirarchy have accepted that the full impact of the new law will not be felt until a first-team player at Milan becomes pregnant.

Milan described their new policy as a "series of protections during pregnancy and early childhood that go beyond current regulations". The headline move is that the club will now guarantee a one-year contract renewal for any player who becomes pregnant in the last year of their deal, with that additional year being signed on the same financial terms the player was already committed to in the previous contract.

On top of this, players will also be offered additional help relating to childcare and expenses for their children. For example, when players or coaches have to travel due to work, suitable lodging and other travel expenditures will be covered by the club to ensure that there is less disruption for the families of players and coaches.

Milan's Head of Women's Football Elisabet Spina has played an important role in overseeing the club's new maternity policy. The only female head of football in the Italian top flight, her work was crucial in getting this rule change over the line, and in an interview with BBC Sport she fleshed out exactly what she hoped would be accomplished here.

"As a huge club, we have the responsibility to try to develop women's football," Spina said. "That's why every year we invest in a dedicated project. I hope this project in particular can help not only women's football improve, but women's sport and female professionals. We want to contribute and try to change the culture."

She continued: "We didn't want to wait for something to happen and to then have to solve the problem. We wanted to have an immediate response and try to build it before. Unfortunately there are not many female sporting directors in Italy… we are missing more female professionals involved in women's football and also men's football. We should always have a mix."

What AC Milan Captain Christy Grimshaw Said:

Scotland international and AC Milan Women's captain Christy Grimshaw — who has played for the club since 2020 — has also commented on her club's new policy regarding player maternity leave. The 28-year-old midfielder was grateful that Spina and her colleagues made a decision to take a stand against this injustice. 

"To be granted this opportunity feels extra special," she said. "The choice of being a mother or a player is one that definitely, in the past, a lot of women have had to make. You might be in the last year of your contract and feel a little scared about becoming a mother. It's taking that choice away from us. We can feel comfortable [now]." She added: "Becoming a mother as a woman is a beautiful thing. I'm hoping this is the start of something special in women's football and women's sport."

If you'd like to find out more about how campaigners, clubs and footballing authorities are seeking to improve rights and freedoms for women's footballers, check out our guide to the new FIFA maternity leave legislation explained.