Podcast Summary: BFFR with Sydney Leroux & Ali Riley

Episode: “Angel City's Claire Emslie on Training While Pregnant, NWSL Salary Cap, & Making World Cup History”

Date: October 20, 2025
Hosts: Sydney Leroux & Ali Riley
Guest: Claire Emslie (Angel City FC, Scotland National Team)

Overview

In this heartfelt, funny, and wide-ranging episode, Ali Riley sits down with her “Scottish queen” and Angel City teammate, Claire Emslie, for a candid conversation about pregnancy while training as a professional footballer, the evolving support for mothers in the NWSL, making World Cup history, and all the personal and professional transitions along the way. Expect stories about navigating club and league policy, behind-the-scenes support from Angel City, updates on Claire’s growing family (including her chef husband Johnny), and reflections on friendship, ambition, and the future of the women’s game.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Evolution of Support for Pregnant Players

• Gratefulness for Past Pioneers: Claire emphasizes how the path has been paved by players before her, transforming the landscape for pregnant footballers.
  • “I never felt like I had to pick between my career and having a baby, which is how I felt growing up.” – Claire Emslie [00:00, 08:51]
• Angel City’s Proactive Support: The club’s medical staff, from athletic trainers to physios, have embraced Claire’s journey, using technology like high-end ultrasounds and ensuring her continued inclusion.
  • “Even like just the staff, like just having the female staff that are trying to relate and feel it... Being able to share that with them and also our teammates, that was really cool.” – Claire Emslie [14:05]
• Changing Mindsets in Younger Players: Claire notes that seeing a pregnant teammate thriving has demystified family planning for her peers, showing that combining motherhood and a football career is possible.

The First Trimester: Secrecy and Struggle

• The Challenge of Hiding Pregnancy: Claire describes the difficult early weeks, having to “play pretend” with a fake hamstring injury to hide her condition.
  • “That was the worst bit, honestly. The first 12 weeks... Having to lie to people and not having an explanation of why, like having to make stories up and why I'm not myself.” – Claire Emslie [11:35]
• Ali Riley’s Perceptiveness: Ali recalls suspecting something deeper was going on and being supportive despite not knowing the full story. [10:26]

Gender Reveal & Sharing the News

• Low-Key Announcements: True to her Scottish roots, Claire opted for modest announcements—no public gender reveal, just telling friends “over pizza” or in casual texts.
  • “We didn't want to do a big gender reveal. We just kind of told people over pizza.” – Claire Emslie [16:36]

Family, Friends, and Everyday Joys

• The Role of Partner Johnny (the Chef):
  • Their meet-cute: Johnny, a Michelin-trained chef, slid into Claire’s DMs after seeing her on TV; their banter about who made the first move is playful and sweet. [22:30–24:27]
  • Johnny’s culinary support during pregnancy: Mixing up smoothies and boosting Claire’s iron intake (“If anyone's single and thinking, what do I want in a partner? Highly recommend the chef.” – Claire [27:13])
  • Upcoming adventures: Johnny’s pending move and plans to be the ultimate baby-food chef.
• Baby Shower “With a Twist”:
  • Ali hosted a non-traditional baby shower with games like “Who Did Claire Sleep With?”—a play on generating AI baby photos of Claire and her teammates, much to the surprise (and panic) of Johnny. [51:19].
  • Blind baby food tastings and “newlywed” style questions kept things lively and inclusive, especially for teammates new to U.S. customs (like Hina and Miyabi). [50:33–52:57]

NWSL Salary Cap and Motherhood Policy

• Policy Frustrations:
  • Limitations on club spending for child care (“money that they can spend on nannies... counts towards a salary cap... It’s not a competitive advantage to have a child and it shouldn’t count towards the salary cap.” – Claire [53:53])
• Ongoing Advocacy:
  • While changes have been made, Claire highlights the need for further policy reform, motivated by the mothers before her and her own desire to leave a better environment for the next generation.

Professional Achievements and Reflections

• Angel City Memories:

  • Best professional moment: “Second year when we qualified for the playoffs, when we beat Portland at home.” [46:30]
  • Fondness for team culture, even through off-field chaos and typical league struggles.

• 2019 World Cup – Scotland’s First Goal:

  • Claire cherishes making history, scoring Scotland’s first FIFA Women’s World Cup goal.
    • “Do you know what, being there though... that was the big thing for us. Obviously, we would have wanted to get out the group... it makes that one appearance even more special.” – Claire [44:17–45:41]

• Returning to Play After Pregnancy:

  • Ali remarks on Claire’s current energy and glow, questioning if she’ll be able to retain this laid-back demeanor once back on the pitch. Claire is optimistic but honest: “I hope I'm gonna be a better version of old Claire in every way... We'll see.” [40:17]
  • Claire’s continued sharpness: Despite being seven months pregnant, she hits 87% on her sprints (“Please stay above 80%!”) and continues to inspire both teammates and fans. [56:42]

The Power of Friendship & Transitions

• Support Amid Career Crossroads:
  • Ali reflects on her own impending retirement and the importance of dreaming about life beyond football, emphasizing the emotional lifeline that friendships like Claire’s provide. [35:09]
  • “Having a vision and a dream that partially is in your control...having a friendship and something to hold on to in my darkest moments has been just such a gift for me.” – Ali Riley [35:09]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I never felt like I had to pick between my career and having a baby, which is how I felt growing up. Which is nice now.... If the environment had been like this five years ago, I maybe would have done it earlier.” – Claire Emslie [00:00, 08:51]
• “Having to lie to people and not having an explanation of why, like having to make stories up and why I'm not myself. So I think everyone just thought I was having a mental breakdown for a while.” – Claire Emslie [11:35]
• “It's not a competitive advantage to have a child and it shouldn’t count towards the salary cap” – Claire Emslie [53:53]
• “If anyone's single and thinking, what do I want in a partner? Highly recommend the chef. Free food, free cooking.” – Claire Emslie [27:14]
• “We have dreams... Claire has the baby, she has a glass of wine in her hand. We're hoping maybe I would be pregnant. And we're sitting outside next summer...” – Ali Riley outlining shared future hopes [34:32]
• “You hit 87 [percent sprint] that week. The next week I hit 84. I've got my run test tomorrow, so tomorrow's the next one. So I'm like, please stay above 80%!” – Claire Emslie [56:36]
• “Blind tasting baby food. One had pea, spinach, and zucchini. That was the least popular and the hardest to figure out what was in it.” – Ali Riley [50:33]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Early gratitude & intro to support for pregnant players: [00:00–08:51]
• Hiding pregnancy during first trimester: [10:26–12:15]
• Team ultrasound experience at Angel City: [13:39–14:54]
• Gender reveal customs & low-key announcements: [16:03–17:45]
• Introducing Johnny, the chef husband, and their story: [22:30–24:27]
• Baby shower recap, humorous AI baby games: [49:09–52:57]
• NWSL salary cap and motherhood policy discussion: [53:53–55:59]
• Return-to-play conversations & professional milestones: [56:36–57:21]
• 2019 World Cup and making history: [44:17–45:41]
• Favorite Angel City moment: [46:30]
• Reflection on friendship, careers, and future dreams: [35:09–37:39]

Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is authentic, warm, and peppered with the sort of inside jokes, gentle teasing, and emotional openness that only genuine friendships allow. Both hosts and Claire balance candor about the tough parts of elite sport and pregnancy with irrepressible humor and optimism for the future.

Conclusion

This episode is a celebration of progress in women's soccer, the power of supportive community, and the ordinary yet extraordinary moments that define the athlete experience—on and off the pitch, with or without a baby bump. For anyone curious about the realities (and hilarities) of pro athletes as mothers, or simply looking for stories about courage, change, and love, it’s unbeatable BFFR content.