The Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association have revealed the details of the landmark agreement reached on the inclusion of a comprehensive family leave policy, which covers maternity rights, improved illness and injury rights and changes to the termination period in standard contracts for Women’s Super League and Championship players.
Under the new terms, a player taking maternity leave will be paid 100% of her weekly wage, as well as any other remuneration and benefits, for the first 14 weeks before dropping to the statutory rate. In addition, there is no qualifying period, whereas players previously had to be employed by a club for 26 weeks before being eligible for the statutory minimum.
Players will also now receive their basic wage for the first 18 months following an injury, then half of their wage for the length of the injury thereafter, mirroring the injury rights of male players.
The FA’s director of the women’s professional game, Kelly Simmons, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to put this agreement in place and it is another significant step forward for the women’s game.
“Player welfare and wellbeing has always been our No 1 priority and this new policy ensures players are better supported, whether that’s going on maternity leave or as a result of a long-term injury.”
The PFA cautioned there was still much to be done to achieve parity between male and female football players, despite the significant changes to contracts. The PFA’s director of women’s football, Marie-Christine Bouchier, said that the disparity between the rights of male and female players is emblematic of a wider disparity in conditions.
Talks between the PFA and the FA are continuing and Bouchier said they are confident that another issue, which allows a player’s contract to expire before the club exercises its option to retain that player, leaving them in limbo “will be remedied imminently”.
She also warned that the new contracts must be implemented wholesale and not staggered in, which would allow for a two-tier employment system to develop: “It is vital that the new changes are adopted by all, as opposed to being implemented on a piecemeal basis, as each player enters into a new contract.”
The PFA’s chief executive, Maheta Molango, added that the organisation, which does not currently represent Women’s Championship players, has the objective of doing so but said: “We want to reach a position of professionalisation in the Women’s Championship,” and added: “Currently, there are complexities around how the FA classifies both the league and the participating clubs that needs to be addressed.
“These issues impact the contractual rights, working conditions and protections of those playing in the Championship and these will form a significant part of the ongoing discussions with the FA.”
