Milan Women’s captain Grimshaw on new maternity leave policy: “It’s an exciting time” | OneFootball

AC Milan recently became the first team in Europe to guarantee contract renewals to their pregnant players and provide childcare expenses for the players who have children along with one companion.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Milan Women’s captain, Christy Grimshaw, spoke glowingly about the team’s new maternity leave policy and how it will benefit the players.

Milan’s new policy is groundbreaking across Europe and will benefit the players in a very tangible way. As Grimshaw herself said: “The choice of being a mother or a player is one that definitely, in the past, a lot of women have had to make.

“To be granted this opportunity feels extra special. You might be in the last year of your contract and feel a little scared about becoming a mother. It’s taking that choice away from us. We can feel comfortable.”

She also went on to say that “becoming a mother as a woman is a beautiful thing” and hoped it would be the start of something special in women’s sports.

“A policy like this enables us to come back and perform [after giving birth]. I’d like to see a change in mindset,” said Grimshaw.

“We can have a baby, come back and be as strong as we were before, compete in major events – and not just in women’s football but every sport.

“Hopefully that can change. It’s a step-by-step process. We are growing every day. But it’s an exciting time for all of us.”

Director Elisabet Spina echoed those sentiments, as she said it is “important to be proactive” on women’s health and to provide the necessary resources for the players to thrive at the team, both in the present and in the future.

Spina went on to state that she hopes Milan’s policies will serve as a model for other clubs who will be inspired to implement similar policies for their players.

“We want to contribute and try to change the culture,” she said. “It is late in a way, but we are happy to be the first that thinks of something like this and to try to change things.

“We started from the point that we didn’t want to wait for something to happen and to then have to solve the problem. We wanted to have an immediate response and try to build it before.”

The Rossonere will play in a pre-season friendly against Barcelona as they participate in the Joan Gamper Trophy.

They’ll then play their first match of the Serie A Femminile season on September 1 as the season will kick off during that weekend. Milan will play at Como Women and kickoff will be at 20:30 CEST.