Chelsea have always prided themselves on being pioneers, and this reputation now extends beyond the pitch into the realm of player welfare and women's health. In a groundbreaking move, the club has become the first team in the Women's Super League to roll out a comprehensive fertility and maternity framework that gives its athletes the freedom to start families on their own terms while receiving the support needed to juggle elite sport and motherhood. The initiative builds on earlier innovations, such as the club’s introduction of menstrual cycle tracking in February 2020 under manager Emma Hayes. By monitoring how cycles affect performance, Chelsea began a data‑driven conversation about female physiology.
The new policy is the logical next step, offering concrete resources rather than just information. Chelsea has partnered with Fertility Plus, one of London’s leading fertility clinics, to create a dedicated fund that any player can access.
The fund covers a wide spectrum of services, including egg freezing, in‑vitro fertilisation, cervical smear tests, contraception, counselling, and educational workshops. It is a voluntary benefit; players decide how and when to use it, and the club backs them with professional guidance. The maternity component of the policy is equally thorough.
It provides personalised support throughout pregnancy and the post‑natal period, financial assistance for a partner or nanny to travel to away fixtures for up to a year after a player returns, enhanced adoption and parental leave options, wage protection and subsidised childcare. In short, the club aims to remove the false dichotomy between a successful football career and a fulfilling family life.
Head coach Sonia Bompastor highlighted the club’s philosophy in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports: “We want to give our players the knowledge and the choices they need to make informed decisions about their bodies and their futures. Every player’s journey is unique, and now they no longer have to pick between professional ambition and motherhood.” Former goalkeeper and current commercial manager Carly Telford was instrumental in shaping the partnership with Fertility Plus. She explained that the clinic was chosen because it understands athletes as both sportspeople and women, offering services that go beyond simple egg‑freezing to include hormone management, endometriosis treatment, cycle tracking and comprehensive health testing.
"The players decide what they do with the information," Telford said, emphasizing that the club’s role is to provide options, not to dictate choices. Bompastor’s own experience adds weight to the programme. She and her partner, Chelsea assistant coach Camille Abily, have four children. During her playing days, limited options forced her to end her career earlier than she might have otherwise, as she felt she had to choose between sport and family.
“I didn’t have the choice then,” she reflected. “Now I can offer the next generation the support I never had, so they can stay at the top of their game and still become mothers if they wish.” While no player has publicly announced plans to use the new resources, Telford reports that feedback from the squad has been overwhelmingly positive. She says many players have expressed gratitude and asked to be kept informed as the programme rolls out. Confidentiality is a cornerstone of the arrangement; medical details remain between the player, Fertility Plus doctors and the club’s medical team.
Chelsea is not entirely new to pregnancy in the squad. Midfielder Melanie Leupolz gave birth in 2022 and returned to first‑team action, and Zecira Musovic took maternity leave after moving back to Sweden in 2025. Their experiences helped shape the club’s understanding of the practical challenges faced by athlete‑mothers.
The policy also considers older players who may be thinking about fertility later in their careers. Former captain Millie Bright, who announced her pregnancy after retiring, exemplifies the type of scenario the club wants to support. Telford hopes that by addressing the needs of 30‑plus athletes, Chelsea can set a template for the whole league. In Bompastor’s words, “Having a family is something you learn on the job.
Providing platforms where players can share experiences and access expert advice makes a huge difference. When you are a high‑level athlete and a mother, you essentially have two full‑time jobs; the club’s support enables you to excel at both.” Beyond the immediate benefits to the players, Telford envisions a broader cultural shift.
She wants Chelsea’s high‑profile stance to spark conversations about women’s health across sport and society. “We have a massive platform. If we can encourage other clubs, other sports and even businesses to think differently about women’s bodies, we’ll have made a lasting impact.” The initiative underscores a growing recognition that elite female athletes deserve the same comprehensive health and family‑planning support as their male counterparts. By integrating fertility services, maternity leave, financial aid and educational resources, Chelsea is charting a new course that could become the benchmark for women’s football worldwide.
In summary, Chelsea’s partnership with Fertility Plus and the rollout of a holistic fertility and maternity policy signal a decisive step toward normalising motherhood within professional sport. The club’s approach offers players autonomy, medical expertise and practical assistance, ensuring that the pursuit of athletic excellence no longer has to come at the expense of personal family goals.
This pioneering model not only benefits the current squad but also sets a powerful precedent for future generations of female footballers and for the broader conversation about women’s health in sport.