The Royal Spanish Football Federation is set to take a new step in support of its national team players. A fresh agreement will allow them to freeze their eggs and plan for motherhood during their playing careers, tackling one of the most prominent challenges professional footballers face.
According to the agency "Europa Press", the Spanish Federation is putting the finishing touches to a deal with a clinic specialising in fertility. The aim is to offer the national team players the option of freezing their eggs, helping them balance life in competition with starting a family whenever suits them.
Alexia Putellas set the wheels in motion. The Spain star raised the issue of motherhood and fertility with federation officials, as Pablo Linde reported in "El País", and the federation acted on the request by working to provide the service to its players.
Speaking to "El País", Putellas called the move an important advance. She explained that footballers must keep competing at the highest level while the clock ticks on their age and biology, which makes motherhood a far more complicated matter for them.
Running alongside these developments is a cooperation agreement struck by the Spanish Footballers' Association with Ruber International Hospital, part of the Quirónsalud group, to provide specialised reproductive medicine services for members and their families.
The agreement covers fertility preservation, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilisation and genetic testing before embryo implantation, along with non-invasive prenatal testing. Members will also receive preferential prices on egg freezing.
David Aganzo, president of the Spanish Footballers' Association, confirmed the deal fits the association's commitment to services that boost the wellbeing of footballers on and off the pitch, widening the scope of care to meet the needs of players and their families.
Professional sport is shifting. There is a growing drive to protect the careers of players who want to postpone motherhood, with fertility protection now part of the wider conversation about the future of women's sport and the need to give players an environment where they can plan family life without sacrificing their careers.
The Spanish Federation is edging towards a more comprehensive model of support for its national team players. Care will not stop at the sporting side but stretch to their health and family needs, in a step that could set an important precedent in Spanish football.