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TSG Hoffenheim Broadens Maternity Protection with Automatic Contract Extensions

By extending expiring contracts by one year at unchanged pay, the club aims to narrow the gap between regulations and players’ real needs.

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Die Frauen der TSG Hoffenheim am Saisonende
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Hoffenheims Fußballerinnen bekommen künftig mehr Unterstützung vom Klub, wenn es um den Nachwuchs geht.

Overview

  • TSG Hoffenheim will automatically prolong any female player’s expiring deal by 12 months at existing economic terms once she becomes pregnant.
  • Club director Markus Schütz says the measure closes the mismatch between FIFA rules, DFB measures and the working reality of women in professional football.
  • Ralf Zwanziger notes the policy responds to a growing number of players choosing to start families during their careers and delivers vital planning security.
  • The initiative is backed by the Fußball kann mehr (FKM) advocacy group and former national goalkeeper Almuth Schult, who hopes other Bundesliga clubs adopt similar protections.
  • Hoffenheim joins international peers in the USA, Italy’s AC Milan and Norway, where maternity safeguards such as contract extensions and childcare subsidies are already in place.