Arsenal Women boss Jonas Eidevall says the club are committed to supporting defender Amanda Ilestedt through her pregnancy and her eventual return to play and hopes that it is becoming easier for female players to have children during their playing careers.
The Swedish defender announced her pregnancy on Wednesday, she is the first Arsenal player since Katie Chapman in 2013 to take maternity leave and Eidevall says there is no question about the club’s support for the player.
‘We are really happy for her and her partner Rainer,’ Eidevall said. ‘That is a feeling that is shared in the whole team, everyone is really happy and excited by the news. As a club we are really committed to helping her in the best way possible, through the whole journey, here until giving birth and then her return to play.’
Asked whether it was still difficult for female athletes to take maternity leave during their careers, Eidevall answered, ‘I hope not. I think to have a child is maybe the biggest blessing you can have in life.
‘It should be special and it shouldn’t be something you think you shouldn’t be entitled to do and to be entitled to that happiness. For me and the club it is a very easy standpoint and I hope a player like Amanda feels that as well.’
RTSP 6.3 (c) pic.twitter.com/tqxPXz03WB
— Sylvain Jamet (@S_Jamet) March 13, 2024
Ilestedt’s maternity leave technically allows Arsenal to purchase a player outside of the transfer window in order to supplement her absence. Arseblog News asks Eidevall whether the club plan to be active in that respect, especially with Jen Beattie having left the club in January. Arsenal recalled young centre-half Katie Reid from her loan spell at Watford for extra cover.
‘It is a FIFA regulation that you are allowed to do that. It is all very new for us, it is great that we have that option to go outside the transfer window. To relate to the question earlier, how do you make it easier for players and clubs to have situations like this? This is definitely one of them.
‘To not be restricted by a transfer window but it is of course still very difficult because a club that would release a player to us wouldn’t have the same option to be able to react in a chain reaction.
‘That makes it very, very tough to get any club to want to realistically want to release a player at the business end of the season.’ Arseblog News also asked for an update on the fitness of Laura Wienroither, who is in full training after rupturing her ACL in May.
‘She is progressing very nicely. I would imagine if everything goes to plan she would start being available at the end of this block for squad selection.’
First name Bergcamp if it’s a boy!
I am confused to be honest – work first or personal life ?
Twat!
Don’t know the rules of women’s league but Arsenal should be allowed to get a player on loan immediately. Men do not have to stop playing if the wife is pregnant. They wait and dedicate a goal to the newborn baby. Quite easy, huh?
Did you read the article? There’s an entire section addressing the provisions available to the club at this point.
People who only perceive life in binary terms are amongst the most unhappy and unfulfilled people I have ever encountered. Thoughts and prayers for you.
Better to have a game where players break off from time to time to have children than one where the players can’t have families while they’re still young. When Bill Shankley said football was more important than life and death he was joking!
Everyone will cope and the game will go on.
And congrats Amanda!
Is this what you sign on the congratulations card when colleagues have a child? Grow up, you’re not funny or edgy.
Good news about Laura Wienroither. I was starting to worry.
That is a good point JE makes about the difficulty of signing a replacement for the replacement… Ideally you’d want to sign someone familiar with the WSL rather than a player from a foreign league. I wonder if there could be a list of maternity/ACL etc cover players that each WSL club has to contribute to? And each player has to have a certain number of appearances under her belt, so no total novices. For us it would have been players like Maritz or Beattie while we had them, or Goldie if she wasn’t injured? Anyway, I can see I’m… Read more »
We have 7 league games & 1 Cup game left.
We have Leah, Lotte & Codina. We have brought Katie Reid back from loan. And Steph Catley can play CB if stuck.
I know it’s technically an option…but is it really worth looking at getting another player in at this stage who will be new to the club & take time to get used to the coach/teammates?? I just can’t see it at all.
Katie McCabe hasn’t played centre back yet! 🙂
Only a matter of time 😀
‘she would start being available at the end of this block for squad selection.’
Does this mean before April internationals?
Yup
Tim-
How come this doesn’t come up more often? Seems like the players must be trying to avoid pregnancy. That’s a real shame if they feel like they don’t have the support to have kids during their careers.