From CNBC: 2025-05-08 06:00:00

Mother’s Day marks the launch of FC Mother, a program using soccer fandom to improve maternal health. WHO reports over 700 preventable maternal deaths daily in 2023. The initiative aims to gamify maternal health and improve outcomes by engaging mothers through football clubs. Researchers from Harvard and top football clubs are involved.

FC Mother’s “World Cup of Healing” competition will measure health outcomes of participating mothers, grouped by soccer fandom. The initiative aims to transform maternal health by tapping into football’s community and competitive spirit. The inaugural competition includes teams from Brazil and the United States, focusing on improving maternal health outcomes.

FC Mother’s goal is to gamify community maternal health through football and demonstrate improvements in quality-adjusted life-years (QUALYs) for mothers and children. The initiative leaves medical treatment to clinicians but emphasizes the importance of social support and mental health in improving overall health outcomes for mothers and children.

FC Mother’s leaderboard features the stats of competing teams and offers immediate support for users via the FC Mother App or Meta’s WhatsApp. The initiative is not a charity, but a for-profit venture aiming to attract investment from corporations, professional sports, and donor-advised funds. The kickoff competition aims to demonstrate the platform’s potential and attract more clubs for a larger competition in 2026.



Read more at CNBC: Soccer fandom to improve maternal health