Spain to cover egg-freezing costs for female footballers and referees

Spain’s football federation has opened a new fertility-support programme for female footballers and referees, including access to in-vitro fertilisation and egg freezing.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation said the agreement with Tambre clinic would give women in elite football more flexibility over when they choose to become mothers. Spain internationals Olga Carmona and Patri Guijarro attended the announcement and welcomed the move.

“We are very happy to have reached this agreement, to have one more option to decide how and when to choose to become a mother,” Carmona said. Guijarro described it as part of the wider effort to improve the balance between professional football and motherhood.

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We are very happy to have reached this agreement, to have one more option to decide how and when to choose to become a mother

The federation’s director of women’s football, Reyes Bellver Alonso, said the RFEF would cover the full cost of egg-freezing treatment for all international players called up at least twice. The agreement with Tambre will remain in effect until 2029, while other benefits will depend on the treatment used.

Bellver Alonso said the programme was not intended to discourage players from having children during their careers. Instead, she said, it offered another option to athletes who might otherwise feel forced to postpone motherhood because of football. The RFEF also cited measures that allow players who become mothers to have their children nearby during away trips, training camps and tournaments.

The initiative has nevertheless drawn criticism from labour and equality groups in Spain. They argued that fertility treatment should not substitute for stronger workplace protections for pregnant athletes and mothers.

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Ultimately, it’s a very positive agreement because it’s true that for all these years we’ve been fighting to achieve a better work-life balance for mothers