Expanding maternity rights in football: Analyzing FIFA's 2024 regulations for female players

This article analyses the expanded maternity related rights included by FIFA in the 2024 edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and looks at any potential changes that can be implemented in future editions of the regulations.

Article Highlights

• Overview of the 2024 regulations on female players & coaches
• Key implications of the 2024 regulations & potential changes for the next edition
  • The definitions: Adoption leave and family leave
  • Paternity leave
  • Breastfeeding provision’s new wording
  • Menstrual health
• Conclusion

Introduction

In 2021, FIFA introduced various maternity rights for female players in its edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (“FIFA RSTP”)^[1]. As noted in this previous article^[2], these included labor regulations in areas of maternity leave, return to play after pregnancy, termination protections during maternity leave, and breastfeeding availability and sites.

As of 1 June 2024, FIFA has further expanded these maternity related rights for female players in the following key areas:

• Extending the rights and protection to adoptive parents as well as non-biological mothers;
• Recognising the physical, psychological and social dimensions in the event of an inability to provide employment services due to severe menstruation or medical complications relating to pregnancy; and
• Encouraging associations to facilitate attachment and emotional balance for female players with their families while on international duty.^[3]

The three key areas of change are:

1. rights for adoptive parents,
2. employment alternatives to menstruation and related complications, and
3. ensuring female players have a connection to their families while traveling internationally.

The article will analyze the wording of these new regulations in comparison to the 2021 regulations to show the specific changes and note a few key considerations.