AC Milan has set up an innovative maternity policy for its women’s players and staff, becoming the first club in Europe to guarantee contract renewals during pregnancy.

Milan’s policy will trigger an automatic one-year contract extension for players who fall pregnant during the final season of their contracts. The club will also help players with childcare and the cost of flights and accommodation for the player’s children and one companion.

Milan players will benefit from this initiative along with the current FIFA guidelines related to pregnancy, mandatory remuneration and return to football.

According to the 2017 FIFPRO Global Employment Report, a global study on working conditions in women's football, only 2% of female players interviewed across four continents had children, and 47% said they would leave football to start a family.

With this policy, AC Milan aims to support female players and professionals making up the technical staff during their development journey, not just in their professional growth, by creating an environment that enables them to make significant life choices.

This initiative comes at a time when women’s players are pushing for better rights across the game, with FIFA launching new standards to protect ballers going through pregnancy in May. Motherhood and football have never been easy to juggle and a number of high-profile players have spoken out about their struggles in combining the two.

That Milan have taken it upon themselves to implement a unique policy that makes this transition into family life less stressful is commendable. Here’s hoping other women’s teams follow suit in the near future.