- Former Germany goalkeeper Almuth Schult this year returned to football eight months after the birth of her third child
- Schult made history in April 2024 by becoming the first player in Germany to use the FIFA Maternity Regulations to return from maternity leave and join a new club outside of transfer periods
- Schult is one of a number of international women’s players who were part of a taskforce that helped shape FIFPRO’s recent Postpartum Return to Play Guide
Eight months after the birth of her third child, former Germany goalkeeper Almuth Schult signed for 2. Frauen Bundesliga side Hamburger SV in April 2024. The shot-stopper was able to join a club in the second half of the season because of the FIFA Maternity Regulations, which were introduced after pressure from FIFPRO, which grants mothers returning from maternity eligibility to play outside of transfer periods.
It meant Schult became the first player in Germany to benefit from that particular clause in the FIFA Maternity Regulations, which is intended to make it easier for mothers to return to competitive sports after childbirth.
Speaking about the maternity regulations, Schult – who recently signed for NWSL side Kansas City Current – said: "Every female player should be informed about them. Some players get pregnant and say, ‘What are my rights, what do I have to do?’ And this should not be the way. It should be easy for players to get advice and I think FIFPRO is a good partner for this.
"It’s important that players can get in touch with FIFPRO or player associations to ask questions and get advice on this."
Postpartum Return to Play Guide
While every pregnant professional player is entitled to the protections laid out in the FIFA Maternity Regulations, it was made clear that guidance is needed for both the players and clubs and national teams working with them on how to best manage pregnancy while playing, before taking maternity leave (prepartum), what to expect after birth (postpartum), and how to best prepare for the return to play phase.
FIFPRO yesterday announced the launch of a guide to help footballers, the people around them and football stakeholders better understand and manage the ‘return to play’ phase after pregnancy and the postpartum period. The guide was developed by a taskforce of professional women’s players with lived experience of returning to professional football, including Schult.
She said: "You need help from good people, you need support in this situation. Usually as an athlete you want to fix stuff yourself, but you're in a new stage of life and this is the way it is as a family, as a mother, and you have to accept help."
'Clubs should be aware'
Schult, 33, stresses the importance of clubs being prepared for players to take maternity and to have sufficient postpartum structures in place.
She said: "Clubs should be aware of this topic beforehand. Clubs shouldn’t say, ‘we’ll go to that topic if we have a pregnant player’ because then it's too late.
"There should already be considerations: what can we provide for help? What can we provide for specialised training? If players know that a club is prepared and that mothers are welcome, then they will feel welcome."
Schult admits it can be challenging for goalkeepers returning to play after childbirth. The former Germany stopper first made her return after having twins in 2020 when at Vfl Wolfsburg.
She said: "Coming back as a goalkeeper is different. I was jealous of outfield players who gave birth at the same time I did and started getting minutes in the same year. But this is not a possible pathway for goalkeepers. It’s different to train and to play in a game because goalkeepers rarely get substituted in 90 minutes."
Though players will be eager to return to the pitch after childbirth, Schult says it’s important not to rush the recovery process.
She said: "If you rush at this time, it could cause an injury, it could cause a step back and you need your time to recover. You need to take your time to prepare yourself on really getting the next step."
