أمومة اللاعبات

Most sports fans, especially female ones, believe that all female athletes around the world are not engaged in marital and family life. The prevailing belief is that football does not allow them to get married and have children, as their bodies undergo many physical and hormonal changes after childbirth, which contributes to their inability to play as they did before, alongside a significant possibility of a decline in their fitness level.

In this context, Dr. Nawal Omar, a women's health and obstetrics consultant interested in women's sports, tells "Okaz":

Although women experience many hormonal and physical changes during pregnancy, after childbirth, and throughout the breastfeeding period, they can engage in sports after a complete recovery period. However, during the postpartum period, they need to pay extra attention to their bodies, especially if they are athletes, specifically in football, through a healthy program and diet. After the breastfeeding period and the ability to return to training and the fields again, they may be allowed to play as a main player.

She continued: "There are professional female athletes worldwide who have married, had children, and returned to sports, including China Matthews, the former Jamaican striker, Almuth Schult, the goalkeeper for the German national football team, American Crystal Dunn, and Icelandic Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, in addition to other players. As someone interested in women's sports, I must point out that the Professional Footballers' Association has issued a 48-page guide to help female players, their families, and support staff in teams understand the pregnancy phase and how to deal with it, as well as their playing careers after childbirth more effectively. The booklet is titled 'Return to Play After Childbirth' in light of what the association discovered regarding the lack of knowledge in the world of professional football."

Dr. Nawal added: "This guide confirms that female football players can marry, become pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed naturally, allowing the player a break during pregnancy after marriage for a period of up to two and a half to three years, which is the time away from the world of football. The player should engage in light and suitable exercises for her health after the recovery period from childbirth, preparing for a gradual return to the fields, which includes stages of fitness and physical rehabilitation through an individual program prepared by the physical trainer before the player officially joins her team on the field."

Dr. Nawal noted at the end of her talk that some global clubs reduce or suspend the salaries of players when they request maternity leave, but they have found all the attention and care supported by the Court of Football at the International Federation, and they regained their unpaid salaries after long legal claims. It is wonderful that some football federations in various countries have included provisions regarding pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood in the contracts of female players, ensuring the rights of both parties.