Casey Stoney walks out for Liverpool FC with her three children. (Getty Images)

In 2017, a FIFPRO study showed that only 1% of footballers in the Women’s Super League had children. An odd amount to digest after England international Siobhan Chamberlain’s recent maternity news.

The number of parents in elite women’s football compared to the men’s game is a ratio surrounded by a lot of questions. Out of the 23-man England squad that travelled to France for the 2018 World Cup, over 60% were fathers.

However, none of their female counterparts at the Women’s World Cup a year later have children. Gareth Southgate’s team had an average age of 27, with Phil Neville’s Lionesses averaging at 28-years-old.

That lack of parents is a stark contrast to the general public. A recent study showed that the average age of UK women to become pregnant is 28.9. In 2017, 45.4% of British women had given birth between the ages of 20 and 29.

View photos No member of the 23-player squad for the Women's World Cup has children. (Getty Images) More

“As a player, you think that your career is over once you have a child but that’s not the case,” Southampton FC Women’s Shelly Provan told Yahoo Sport.

Provan currently plays in the National League Division One South West and has two children, four-year-old Austin and two-year-old Evie.

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A balancing act

Parenthood comes with its share of obstacles and challenges and raising children while working a full-time job can make it even harder to manage. So how do the footballers we love to watch manage to balance their job, their football career and family life all at once?

Provan’s daily routine starts with the school run before going to work her day job as a PE teacher. She heads home to walk the dogs and cook dinner for her children before football training in the evening.

“My aim is to still be playing until they [the children] are old enough to remember coming to watch their mum play,” Provan says. “I remember going to watch my dad play football and I want that for my kids.”

Liverpool captain Sophie Bradley-Auckland recently shared an insight into her own daily routine. Working as a carer, the skipper makes balancing a challenging job, captaining her club and being a mum to two-year-old Macie look effortless.

Elsewhere, Manchester United and England goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain announced she was expecting her first child in July last year. As a result, she has taken time away from her first-team role to focus on starting her family.

But what lies ahead for Chamberlain when she returns to top-tier football? Mary Earps has looked solid between the sticks for both United and the Lionesses since she stepped in, meaning mum-to-be Chamberlain could face a battle to regain the shirt when she returns.

View photos Goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain announced her pregnancy earlier this year. (Getty Images) More

Her manager, Casey Stoney, has three children of her own. Retiring from playing football just last year, Stoney got straight into coaching and took up the role as United’s head coach.

Salary and club care

Provan is currently recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which she admits was extremely hard on her and her family. “I wasn’t able to look after my children which was heartbreaking,” she said.

The Southampton captain explained her husband had to do the majority of the parenting while she was unable to move her leg. However, as she started to recover, she laughed about how Austin and Evie would join in with her rehab exercises.