Player associations occupy a central place in modern sport as they institutionalise athlete voice within systems that are shaped by leagues, federations, and commercial interests, many of which retain significant control over the structure and governance of their sport. Player associations effectively function as representative labour bodies that seek to rebalance the asymmetry between individual athletes and the institutions that regulate their careers.

In recent years, maternity support in elite sport has shifted from an overlooked issue to a central focus of policy development. Major initiatives such as the WTA Maternity Fund, introduced in 2025, and AC Milan’s groundbreaking policy in August 2024, which guarantees automatic one-year contract renewals for players who become pregnant in the final year of their contract, highlight a growing recognition of the need to better support athlete mothers.

If your organisation has never received a safeguarding concern, it can feel reassuring. After all, no reports must mean nothing is happening, right? Unfortunately, this assumption can be one of the greatest risks and a barrier to proper safeguarding within a sports setting.

Safeguarding should be visible in everyday behaviours, decision making and interactions, not just referenced when something goes wrong. Historically, a safeguarding policy has been seen as the final step in sports safeguarding, with many organisations still taking this view. However, for effective safeguarding, a policy has to be seen as just the first step.