PLAYERS will receive full remuneration if they exercise an entitlement to miss training sessions or matches for menstrual health reasons as one of a host of new regulations for women’s football introduced by Fifa.

The changes to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), which come into effect on Saturday and were unanimously endorsed by the Fifa council earlier this month, build on existing regulations that were first announced by Fifa in November 2020.

The announcement also includes new provision for adoptive parents and non-biological mothers.

While the 2020 reforms, which outlined global minimum labour conditions for players, did include a minimum 14-week maternity leave, it was at the time enshrined for players only.

Coaches will now also be allowed the same, while a minimum of eight weeks’ paid absence have been granted to female players or coaches who have adopted children aged younger than two, reduced to four weeks for a child between two and four years of age and to two weeks for a child older than four.

A minimum of eight weeks’ “family leave” can also now be requested by players or coaches who are not the biological mother of their children.

The new rules around menstrual health are designed to ensure players do not fear repercussions for missing out on training or matches due to related issues.

Fifa chief football women’s officer Dame Sarai Bareman said: “When you’re playing sport for a living, and in a professional environment, we have to factor in that the female menstrual cycle can also impact on your ability to deliver within your role.

“So, it’s important that we protect those that are affected by their menstrual cycles in a way that it doesn’t put at risk their employment situation with their club and, ultimately, their ability to earn money.”