Crystal Dunn | Football after motherhood

Описание: Having won multiple titles at club level and all major honours on the international scene, Crystal Dunn certainly knows what it means to be part of a successful team.

A common quality of successful teams? An environment where everyone chips in. It’s a mantra that Dunn also applies to motherhood.

"To raise a baby, it takes a village. You can’t do it on your own,” Dunn tells FIFPRO. “The most important thing is having that plan in place so that a women’s athlete just comes back and all they have to do is follow step by step and feel safe and protected."

Dunn became a mother for the first time in 2022 and is a strong advocate for maternal rights. She joined a taskforce of mothers who helped FIFPRO launch the Pregnancy and Postpartum Return to Play Guide, to help footballers, their entourage and competition regulators better understand and manage the ‘return to play’ phase after pregnancy and the postpartum period.

The guide offers invaluable recommendations for players and aims to change perceptions around pregnancy, post-partum and football.

“I truly believe there is a minimum that should automatically be provided for all moms in the workplace – and that is a nanny. When you're traveling, nannies, accommodation, travel should be paid for,” said Dunn.

“For me, it's important that people realise when you are now a mom, your baby is a part of you. Your baby has to be with you. That baby is an extension of you and therefore the nanny is an extension of you. The more that clubs understand this, the easier it is to navigate the space.”