How Will FIFA's New Maternity Benefits Rules Impact U.S. Women's Soccer?

This article examines the new FIFA regulations on maternity benefits available to women soccer players across the world and compares it with the benefits that the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) provides its players with.

This article follows on Part 1 which outlined the overall labour structure of the USWNT and the National Women’s Super League (NWSL).[1] While laying out the status of the NWSL Players (non-allocated USWNT players) and the interplay with USWNT allocated players, Part 1 provided a helpful outline of the labour structure (see below), which will be a helpful backdrop for understanding the maternity leave benefits in the new 2021 FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (FIFA RSTP), and how they apply, if at all, to the NWSL players.

This article specifically delves into the following:

• Brief Recap On The NWSL’s Labour Structure & USWNT’s Salary Structure (covered In Part 1)
• The New FIFA Regime On Maternity Benefits
• Maternity Benefits Provided By The USWNT
  • Article 12 - USWNT Contracted and NWSL Allocated - Maternity Leave
    • Pregnancy
    • Adoption
    • Child-care
  • Article 9 - Non-Contracted/NWSL Allocated Players
    • Pregnancy
    • Adoption
  • Non-Allocated player benefits
• Summarising The Legal Position