Copa90 documents footballer’s journey to motherhood

Copa90 has released a 12-minute mini-documentary called Do Both about footballer Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir. The film, which was made over a nine-month period, focuses on the Olympique Lyonnais player and captain of Iceland’s national team, telling the story of Gunnarsdóttir’s journey preparing for motherhood, the birth of her son in November 2021 and returning to her club in March, and country in April 2022. 

The documentary reveals her training schedule while pregnant and the work undertaken with specialist coach Mark Jonson to prepare the footballer for birth and returning to play for the French side just five months after giving birth. Gunnarsdóttir shares insights into the physical and mental challenges of preparing for childbirth while maintaining her career as a professional athlete.

Directed by Copa90’s Lawrence Tallis, and sponsored by Puma, the film highlights societal preconceptions placed on women around remaining active while pregnant and returning to work after giving birth.

Gunnarsdóttir said: “I’ll be forever thankful that my journey to motherhood has been captured, to inspire others, to remind myself of the challenges I overcame and to show we can break down barriers and not be limited to other people’s perceptions. We are capable of so much more. I’m grateful for the support of my family and friends, and of course my partners Puma who have all supported me as I prepared to welcome my son and return to playing football. I know not everyone has been able to tread the same path, and I hope the documentary can act as a universal truth that, as women and mothers, you do not have to choose between having a family and your career. You can do both.”

Matthias Baeumer, PUMA general manager BU Teamsport, added: “This has been a special project to be a part of from the moment Sara met with us and wanted to give unprecedented access to her personal journey. Sara wanted to show that you do not have to choose between your career and starting a family. By sharing her journey, including the mental and physical challenges she has faced along the way, we hope this will inspire and give insight to athletes around the world. In a time when women’s football is going from strength to strength, it is important to bring awareness to such key topics and to show that society’s perceptions do not need to determine your path. The documentary with our partner Copa90 is a beautiful insight into her strength and unique character.”

Tom Thirlwall, chief executive officer of Copa90 said: “The power of Sara’s story is one born out around the world every minute of every day, yet in the sporting world so rarely seen. It’s been a privilege to capture her journey preparing for a new stage in her life as both a professional footballer and mother, and to challenge the preconceptions around what Sara’s life should be having welcomed her son. We know the documentary will inspire others, and hopefully shift the societal pressures and judgement, with such a unique insight into her world and her huge mentality and character.”

Lawrence Tallis, director, added: “Our aesthetic approach to the film was designed with the aim of capturing the most natural and personal material possible. Sara’s story is so compelling and she’s such a captivating character that we really wanted to create an environment where she could give the audience a real insight into her thoughts, feelings and daily life. With that in mind we prioritised choices that allowed us to create a visual intimacy that would make the film feel as real as possible, and also facilitate natural conversation. Specifically, we employed all handheld cameras – giving an intimacy and an observational feel, we used all natural light sources which added to the reality of the look and also meant we could keep filming as relaxed as possible – not having to spend time on lighting set-ups and allowing us to stay agile throughout the shoot. This meant we could be ready to shoot at all times and allowed us to capture intimate moments on the fly.”

The documentary is embedded above, and is also available on Copa90 and Puma’s YouTube channels.