Chelsea Football Club has a long history of breaking new ground, and this time the innovation is happening off the pitch. The club has become the first team in the Women's Super League to roll out a comprehensive fertility and maternity programme, giving its players the freedom to start families on their own terms while still competing at the highest level. This initiative builds on Chelsea’s earlier work in women’s health, such as the introduction of menstrual‑cycle tracking in February 2020 under manager Emma Hayes, and now takes the club’s commitment a step further. In partnership with Fertility Plus, one of London’s leading fertility clinics, Chelsea has created a dedicated fund that any player can access for a range of reproductive services.
The fund covers egg‑freezing, in‑vitro fertilisation, smear tests, contraception, as well as counselling and educational workshops. The aim is to provide players with the information and resources they need to make informed decisions about their bodies, without imposing any mandatory requirements.
Access to the fund is entirely voluntary and players receive full support from the club throughout the process. The new Player Maternity Policy is equally extensive. It offers personalised support for pregnancy and post‑natal recovery, financial assistance for a partner or nanny to travel to away fixtures for up to a year after a player returns to training, enhanced adoption and parental‑leave provisions, wage protection and subsidised childcare. In the words of head coach Sonia Bompastor, who spoke to Sky Sports, "We want to be a club that empowers players with knowledge and choice, so they never have to choose between a professional career and motherhood.
Both are now possible." Former goalkeeper and current commercial manager Carly Telford has been instrumental in shaping the collaboration with Fertility Plus. She explained that the club needed a partner that understood athletes first and women second, offering a holistic suite of services that goes beyond simple egg‑freezing. "We wanted options around hormones, endometriosis, cycle tracking, testing – an all‑encompassing approach to the female body," Telford said.
The programme is designed to give each player the autonomy to decide what, if any, fertility treatment they pursue, while also providing a safety net for those who wish to start families later in their careers. Bompastor’s own experience adds a personal dimension to the policy.
She is a mother of four with partner and Chelsea assistant coach Camille Abily. During her playing days, limited options forced her to retire earlier than she might have otherwise, as she felt she had to choose between her career and becoming a mother. "When I reflect on my own story, I didn’t really have a choice. I wanted a successful playing career, but I also wanted a family, and the lack of support made those goals feel mutually exclusive," she recalled.
The new policy, she believes, removes that dilemma for the next generation of players. While no Chelsea player has yet publicly announced plans to use the new resources, the club reports positive feedback from the squad.
Telford noted that many players expressed enthusiasm and relief at having the option openly available. Confidentiality is a cornerstone of the arrangement: medical information is shared only between Fertility Plus specialists and the club’s own medical team, and remains strictly private. Chelsea is not entirely new to pregnancy in its ranks. Midfielder Melanie Leupolz gave birth in 2022 and returned to the first team, and Zecira Musovic took maternity leave in 2025 before re‑joining the squad.
The club’s recent policies also consider older players who may be thinking about fertility later in their careers. Former captain Millie Bright, who retired earlier this year, announced her pregnancy, underscoring the relevance of the programme for women in their thirties. The dual focus on fertility and maternity care creates a seamless support network. Players can access reproductive health services, receive guidance on pregnancy and post‑natal recovery, and benefit from practical assistance such as childcare subsidies and travel support for family members.
Bompastor summed up the philosophy: "Being a mum and a professional athlete are two full‑time jobs. Our players need the infrastructure to excel at both, and that’s exactly what we’re providing." Beyond the immediate benefits to the team, Chelsea hopes the initiative will spark a broader conversation about women’s health in sport. Telford emphasised the club’s ambition to influence other organisations: "If we can get other clubs, other sports, and even businesses to rethink how they support women, we’ll have made a lasting impact." She added that many female athletes, including herself, would have appreciated more education about their bodies during their playing careers—information on menstrual health, fertility windows, and long‑term reproductive planning. The partnership with Fertility Plus now offers that knowledge, and Telford believes it will encourage more athletes to take control of their health decisions.
In summary, Chelsea’s groundbreaking fertility and maternity policies represent a significant stride toward gender‑equitable sport. By providing financial, medical and logistical support, the club ensures that its players can pursue both elite football and family life without having to sacrifice one for the other.
The programme not only benefits current squad members but also sets a precedent for the entire Women’s Super League, the FA and the global football community, highlighting that a player’s wellbeing extends far beyond the touchline.