Women's soccer star Almuth Schult says clubs didn't want to sign a player with kids

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Women's soccer star Almuth Schult says clubs didn't want to sign a player with kids

2025-04-22 23:25 Last Updated At：04-23 00:22

BERLIN (AP) — As an Olympic gold medalist and Champions League winner, Almuth Schult was one of the top goalkeepers in women's soccer. She believes her career ended early because clubs were reluctant to sign a player with children.

The 34-year-old former Germany goalkeeper announced her retirement in March, three months after her contract ended with the Kansas City Current in the National Women’s Soccer League in the U.S.

“I feel like in Europe it is still not yet normal for a female soccer player to have children. Whether the clubs admit it or not, that's my subjective impression,” Schult told Germany’s Kicker magazine in an interview published Tuesday. “Many clubs worry that there could be adversity and difficulties with mothers even though that doesn't have to be the case.”

Schult said she felt she could have played another “one, two years at the highest level” and that she believes being a mother was “the main reason” talks didn’t work out. Schult said top clubs only offered her the role of a third-choice backup.

Schult gave birth to twins in 2020 and a third child in 2023. “I was already out of contract after my second pregnancy," said Schult, who played 66 times for the German national team. “No club believed I could still help, even though I had already proven it after my first pregnancy.”

Schult won the Champions League with Wolfsburg in 2014 and the Olympic gold medal with Germany at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and has also built a career as an expert commentator on German TV.

She suggested that European clubs could have something to learn from those in the U.S. in helping players to continue their careers after having children.

“My career would presumably have taken a different course if I'd had the same support as I recently received in the U.S.,” she said.

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Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.