FAM+ announces launch of Mother In Sport Collective

On Sept. 17, For All Mothers+ (FAM+) will launch the Mother in Sport Collective (MISC): the first industry alliance of sports brands publicly pledging to standardize maternity protections for contracted elite athletes and for recreational athletes in associated programming through improvements in athlete contracts, paid leave, lactation spaces, child care accessibility and beyond. 

Founding members include Strava, Brooks, lululemon, Hoka, Clif, Hettas, Brodo, Altra, rabbit, Oiselle and Gu. They will make the pledge public at Strava headquarters in San Francisco on the 17th.

MISC brings brands together to design and implement shared solutions across all levels of sport. Working with athletes, researchers, brands and advocates, members will help create and pilot a Maternal Equity Playbook that creates a new standard of care for maternal wellness in sport. With the explosive growth of the women’s sports industry, MISC’s goal is to create maternal care standards that make the sports industry more equitable—across policies that include paid leave, lactation spaces, child care accessibility and physical recovery support (i.e. access to physical therapy) to reduce injuries when returning to sport postpartum.  

“Mothers in sport deserve systemic and structural support, financial security, and the freedom to pursue their ambitions without being penalized for motherhood,” said Alysia Montaño, Olympic medalist and founder of For All Mothers+. “Mothers’ needs deserve to be considered from the start and included equitably in ways that ensure they are valued and invested in, protecting their ability to thrive fully in society, and sport.”

Until now, maternity protections have been something individual athletes negotiated brand by brand and contract by contract—if they had the leverage to negotiate them at all.

Founding brands are pledging to review and standardize maternity protections across their athlete contracts, including protections against sponsorship reductions, pauses or terminations tied to pregnancy, postpartum recovery or motherhood.  

The work also extends beyond professional athletes. MISC members will work together to make races, events and brand programs more accessible to recreational athletes who are pregnant, postpartum or raising children—so that becoming a mother doesn’t mean stepping away from sport.

“At Strava, we believe being active shouldn't end the moment someone becomes a parent," said Michael Martin, chief executive officer, Strava. “Whether she is a casual runner or a professional athlete, she shouldn't have to choose between being a mother or being active. Through our Strive for More initiative, we've funded research with For All Mothers+ on the barriers pregnant and parenting runners face. Joining the Mother in Sport Collective as a founding member is the natural next step. We're proud to stand alongside For All Mothers+ to help build durable support for mothers so they can continue to be active throughout every stage of their life.”

The motherhood penalty is real, even for athletes performing at the highest levels of professional sports.

Professional athlete mothers have been saying for years that this policy change is needed. In 2019, Olympic track medalist Alysia Montaño went public about what happened to her sponsorship when she became pregnant, and the industry pledged to do better. As the founder of For All Mothers+, an organization driving policy change for mothers in sport at all levels, Montaño has led the effort to align brands around a common commitment.

New research from Carleton University and For All Mothers+, published in coordination with the MISC launch in September 2026, shows how widespread the problem remains: Seventy-six percent of professional athletes who received funding experienced a reduction, pause or termination of at least one funding source due to pregnancy, postpartum recovery or motherhood. Sixty-five percent of those professional athletes did not feel comfortable disclosing their pregnancy to sponsors and governing bodies.

With the data showing how far there is still to go, brands are—for the first time—committing to level the playing field for families, together.

Tune in for the Mother in Sport Collective launch panel and pledge signing. September 17th | 4:30 pm PST