The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is finalizing an agreement with a fertility clinic to facilitate Spanish national team footballers the freezing of their eggs, according to El País. The initiative seeks to offer international players a tool to reconcile their sports career with the possibility of becoming mothers later on. The details of the agreement, including the players who could benefit and the expenses that the Federation would cover, are yet to be finalized.
The proposal is said to have arisen from a concern raised by the footballers themselves and conveyed by Alexia Putellas. The player has publicly defended the need to advance in measures that allow athletes not to have to choose between their career and motherhood. The RFEF agreement is still in the preparation phase, and its conditions are expected to be known in September.
Elite sports and reconciliation
The initiative is part of a broader debate on reconciliation in high-level sports. The Higher Sports Council (CSD) already has specific programs to support athletes facing motherhood and facilitate their continuity in competition. Among these measures is the Maternity Scholarship, incorporated into the CSD Team Spain-ADO program for the 2025-2028 Olympic cycle.
In 2025, the Higher Sports Council called for aid worth 450,000 euros for high-level and high-performance female athletes, with specific lines aimed at motherhood, family reconciliation, and academic training.
The regulatory framework has also incorporated specific measures for female athletes. The Sports Law establishes that Spanish sports federations and professional leagues must have reconciliation and co-responsibility plans, including specific protection measures in situations of motherhood and breastfeeding.
The CSD itself has gathered experiences from athletes who have continued their careers after becoming mothers. Among them is the Paralympic triathlete Eva Moral, who has explained her experience as an athlete and mother within the support programs of the organization. There are also precedents within the Spanish teams. The CSD has documented the case of hockey players María López and Mari Ángeles Ruiz, the latter being a mother while continuing to be part of the Spanish national team.