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Reading boss Kelly Chambers has defended the club’s support for captain Emma Mukanda during her pregnancy and maternity leave, but said the WSL’s work on that front was still in its “infancy”.
On Wednesday, Scottish international Mukandi (née Mitchell) detailed the various challenges faced as a new mother at the club, including breast pumping in the closet and not being able to bring her daughter due to “club policy”.
Mukandi also said on Off the Ball’s COYGIG Podcast that she felt she had to “fake the injury” early in her pregnancy in 2021 as she was unsure if the news would be welcomed at the club.
Mukandi gave birth in November 2021, before the FA introduced new mandatory minimum maternity cover for players in the top two divisions of women’s football. Reading, however, decided to honor Mukandi’s 14-week fully paid maternity leave set by the FA, paying her for eight months until she returned for pre-season training last summer.
“She did nothing wrong,” Chambers said of Mukanda’s comments. “But I’m also going to sit here and say I think we supported Emma the best way we could.
“When week 14 came, Emma wasn’t ready to go back to football – physically, mentally, she wasn’t ready to let [daughter] Innes goes to the nanny, she was just a new mom who is not ready to do that. That’s why we supported her.
“You should go back [last] In January or February, but she didn’t actually return until this season’s preseason. During all these eight and a half months, we supported her and worshiped the maternity package. From that side of things, it’s hard to sit here and take those criticisms when I believe we’ve really supported Emma in those moments.”
However, Chambers, who is a mother herself, admitted that women’s football in England is still lagging behind when it comes to maternity support and that Reading was not fully prepared for the player’s pregnancy when Mukandi shared her news.
“When Emma got pregnant it was a real shock to the whole club as to how we’re doing it – we’re the first club to go through it,” said Chambers. “We did pretty much everything we thought was best for Emma… Those were the conversations that happened every day with Emma. I think everything we do is a learning curve and what we could have done better .
“The women’s game is in its infancy [for] maternity, it’s true. You can look at the US and they are great there in terms of what they offer and what they do for actresses. But we are very, very new. While we want it to move forward as quickly as possible, much like the growth of the league, it will take time.”
Team USA players receive maternity leave and paid nanny care, including travel and childcare stipends, at national team camps and on trips.
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