AC Milan’s new maternity leave policy includes contract renewals

AC Milan announced a new maternity policy on Friday that guarantees automatic renewal of contracts for female players in their final season, a first for Europe’s elite clubs.

In recent years, advocacy for maternal rights in women’s professional sport has become increasingly popular, with many sports governing bodies, including FIFA, and sponsoring brands introducing new rules.

AC Milan said it was introducing “a range of protections for pregnant women and early childhood that go beyond the current regulations” for players and staff.

These include the automatic renewal of players’ contracts with the option of a one-year extension, on the same financial terms, if the contract expires during the season in which the pregnancy begins.

The club said it would also provide childcare during sports activities, as well as financial support in the form of flights, accommodation and other travel-related expenses for the children and one accompanying person.

In January 2021, new FIFA maternity regulations came into force, which it said were necessary to reflect the development of women’s football.

These regulations imposed on FIFA’s 211 member associations mandatory maternity leave of at least 14 weeks, paid – at least eight weeks after giving birth – at a rate of at least two-thirds of the player’s contracted salary.

According to the regulations, all players have the right to return, and the club is obliged to reinstate her in treatment and provide her with continuous medical care.

FIFA regulations also state that “no female footballer shall ever suffer any detriment due to pregnancy” and that termination of a contract due to pregnancy should be considered without just cause.

Earlier this year, FIFA extended maternity protection to adoptive parents, calling it a move that “reflects the reality of women’s football and promotes inclusivity by providing protection for players who wish to start a family.”

In 2019, Nike faced widespread criticism for its policy of reducing the pay of female athletes during and after pregnancy.

Elite athletes like Allyson Felix, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in track and field, have spoken out against the policy, prompting the sporting goods giant to waive performance-based pay cuts for athletes who have children for 12 months.

Other organisations that have introduced maternity policies include the WTA (which changed its ranking system in 2019 to give top players returning from pregnancy a “special rank” that qualifies them for tournaments) and the English Rugby Football Union.

ams/bsp