Women Footballers To Now Get Maternity Leaves As FIFA Introduces Reforms

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on Friday, December 4, announced historic reforms for the empowerment of women professional footballers.

The association council approved new rules which would help the footballers overcome obstacles and bring more stability to their playing careers.

The new rules amongst other things include a minimum 14-week paternity leave for female players (with at least eight weeks after birth). Additionally, after the completion of a player's maternity leave, her club will be under an "obligation to reintegrate her" into football-related activities and also provide necessary ongoing medical support.

"The players are the protagonist of the game, they are the most important part of the game and we have to make sure that we set the stage for them to shine. When it comes to female players, we should bring more stability to their careers. For example, if they need to take maternity leave, then they don't have to worry,' said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

"If we are serious about boosting the women's game, we have to look at all these aspects," he added.

The mandatory 14-week maternity leave also entails a minimum two-thirds of their contracted salary. Also, the association has, through introduced measures, reportedly made it harder for clubs to part company with pregnant players, saying "no female player should ever suffer a disadvantage of any sort on the basis of her pregnancy".

The FIFA president also said the reforms would also be introduced to give greater stability to coaches who form the backbone of the team.

"Coaches develop how we play and inspire the players, they too need job security and we have established minimum standards to protect them," he said.

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