Two of the biggest names in women’s football have revealed their fears over when the right time to have children is, and whether it’ll affect their stellar football careers.
England players Alessia Russo and Ella Toone, who were part of Sarina Wiegman‘s history-making team in 2022 and will be playing for their country when the Euros kick off in Switzerland next month, shared their anxieties about starting a family as a professional female footballer in their BBC podcast.
In the latest episode of The Tooney & Russo Show, in which the pair are interviewed by DJ Vick Hope, who’s expecting her first baby with Calvin Harris, the players said women in the game face a dilemma over whether to put off having children to achieve their dreams on the pitch – or try for a baby while still playing.
Manchester United star Ella Toone, 25, who’s dating fellow footballer Joe Bunney, told her England co-star and Hope: ‘Do I make sure I try and achieve what I can and then step away from the game and have my own family?’
Toone told the show she has a long list of baby names already stored on her phone and many of her friends are already having children before adding: ‘I’m only 25 so for now I’m doing what I’m doing’.
And Russo, who scored the most goals in the Women’s Super League this season for Arsenal, said it was also easy to let fertility worries creep in when focusing on a top flight football career.
The striker, 26, said: ‘You don’t know how you’re going to come back and you also don’t know how long it can take to get pregnant or if you can have kids’, adding ‘You’ve just got to live in the here and now’.
‘With football and how fast it moves and how much you want to do and you want to win, it [having a family] takes a little bit of a backseat.
England Euros star Ella Toone, 25, told the latest episode of BBC podcast The Tooney & Russo Show podcast that she’s torn between having a family while still playing with partner Joe Bunney – or waiting until her career is finished
Alessia Russo, the top scoring striker in the Women’s Super League last season, said putting off having a family while playing is difficulty because you ‘don’t know how long it can take to get pregnant or if you can have kids’
The pair said both of their respective clubs, Manchester United and Arsenal, have had players give birth and then come back to the game (Pictured at Wembley ahead of the Portugal game in May)
‘But then I think it’s exciting to know you’ve got another chapter after football where you can have a whole second life.’
Russo said club support for her Arsenal team-mate, Swedish player Amanda Ilestedt, who gave birth to a daughter, Mila, last year, had been ‘amazing’, revealing the little girl often travels with the club now to fixtures.
Russo explained: ‘Her body’s been through it all and it’s nice to see her journey, how she went through it all and then came back.
‘She’s been amazing but the club helped her a lot too.’
The pressures of playing international tournaments alongside club football has been in the spotlight in recent weeks after three of England’s 2022 Euros stars announced they won’t play for their country in Switzerland this summer.
Chelsea captain Millie Bright became the latest England star to declare herself unavailable for selection last week after former England No1 goalkeeper Mary Earps and Brighton star Fran Kirby announced they were retiring from international football.
Taking to Instagram, Bright wrote that she was unavailable to give 100 per cent ‘mentally or physically’.
‘This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but after careful thought and discussions with my team, I have decided to withdraw from selection for the England squad ahead of Euro 2025.
Toone is dating fellow pro footballer Joe Bunney (right) – but admits her baby names list includes lots of names ending in ‘ie’ – such as Rennie and Arnie – which she says wouldn’t fit well with her boyfriend’s surname
Podcast presenter Vick Hope, who’s expecting her first baby with superstar DJ Calvin Harris, asked the pro footballers how they felt about having a family
Hope told the podcast that in her own career having female role models who’ve had children and come back to their careers has been important to see
‘Football has given me so much, and representing my country has always been my greatest honour. My pride and ego tells me to go, but I think the team and the fans deserve more. Right now I’m not able to give 100% mentally or physically.
‘As much as I want to be out there running through back walls for England and fighting alongside my team-mates, stepping back is the right timing for my health, my future in the game, and most importantly the team.
‘It wouldn’t be fair for me to take the place and opportunity away from another player who is ready and able to give everything for the badge and country.’
Bright’s engagement split may have been one factor behind her decision to declare herself unavailable for the Lionesses this summer after declaring herself ‘not happy’ before pulling out of the squad this week.
Bright – who has a tattoo of Crew’s eye on her arm – declared herself unavailable for the Lionesses this summer
Sources have told Mail Sport that Bright, 31, was left heartbroken by her split from fitness trainer fiancé Levi Crew, which is understood to have happened earlier this year.
Bright and Crew shared a home in Surrey and their families were close. She referred to him as her ‘king’ who is with her ‘through thick and thin’ and has a tattoo of his eye on her arm which has been shown prominently in official squad photos.
Fans have also made note that Bright has removed any mention of Levi from her social media accounts and deleted her post announcing their engagement – she did, though, share a post-operation recovery snap on Friday.
