While plenty of that has come on the pitch, it is the behind the scenes work that is truly leading the way for female players and women's health. Now, the Blues are the first team in the WSL to introduced new fertility and maternity policies, giving their players the choice to start a family in whichever way they want to, and the post-natal support to balance the demands of elite sport and motherhood. The Blues were also the first club in the world to starting tracking menstrual cycles - introduced by Emma Hayes in February 2020 - and how they impact performance.
This is the next step in that process. Chelsea have partnered with Fertility Plus - one of London's leading fertility clinics - to set up a fund accessible to all players in support of their fertility journey. This includes egg freezing, IVF, smear tests and contraception, as well as counselling and workshops to give players everything they need to make informed choices It is not an enforced policy and players can access it however they need with support from Chelsea.
The Player Maternity policy covers a wide range of support both during and after pregnancy, including: - Personalised pregnancy and post-partum recovery support. - Financial support for a partner or nanny to travel to away fixtures up to one year after a player’s return to playing. - Enhanced adoption and parental leave policies. - Wage support and subsidised childcare. "As a club, it's always been really important for us to support our players the best way possible," Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor exclusively told Sky Sports. "We want to be a club who always supports the players to have more knowledge around different opportunities... it's more for them to be able to make a choice and a decision about what they want for them.
"Every player is different, every individual is different, they have a different journey and you can make a choice based on what you know and what is available for you. "You don't have to choose anymore between your professional career and your personal life being a mum. Now, both are possible." Chelsea have partnered with leading London fertility clinic Fertility Plus - and former goalkeeper and commercial manager for the women's team, Carly Telford, has led the way it that collaboration.
She exclusively told Sky Sports: "I've seen first-hand the kind of experiences that women, girls and athletes have when it comes to making choices around fertility and I wanted us to be a leading club in that. "I wanted to find someone that understood us as athletes first, but also understood us as women and what that comes with. I wanted to find a fertility clinic that offered more than just egg freezing and more than just optional things, but to give choices around hormones, endometriosis, cycle tracking, testing - something all-encompassing around the female body.
"Then what the players do with that is completely up to the individual. That was really important to the club and to the players in terms of having options outside of their careers for how their families or how the individual look at themselves. "It brings comfort and a thought process that we as a club are looking at them differently and are treating them as people as well as footballers.
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