Back in September this year, West Bromwich Albion Women’s football team switched their home kit short colour from white to navy after their players voiced their concerns over wearing white while on their periods. The impact this announcement has had on women’s football and other sports since has been nothing but positive.
Following West Brom’s announcement: Stoke City, Swansea City, Scottish side Livingston and most notably Manchester City Women have all swapped their short colours due to period concerns being voiced by their players.
West Bromwich Albion Women’s player Kerry Walklett said: “I think what’s pleasing for us as a team is we may have influenced these players from other clubs to have the initial conversation. In most cases, this is probably an issue managers/clubs have never really thought about before, so I do feel it shows great consideration from these other clubs who’ve followed suit.
“We are lucky here at WBA, our coaching staff have created an environment we are all comfortable in as a squad.”
Periods within women’s sport have been seen as taboo language for many years now. The Lionesses who had to play in an all white kit at the Euros this summer, gave feedback to their kit maker Nike, as the squad were concerned over wearing white due to their periods, revealed forward Beth Mead.
Also back in June, British tennis player Heather Watson, voiced her concerns about wearing all white at Wimbledon as she said she has to “plan my period around it”.
But with more female footballers voicing their concerns and there having seen some major breakthroughs where clubs listened and did something about their players concerns to make the situation better, highlights how much women’s football has grown and the impact it now has in society.
Walklett added: “I can see clubs are evolving each year, and I’m glad our club almost started this whole movement off and will be a big part of the growth in supporting women in football.
“Little things like having access to tampons in toilets, having women’s fitted kits and now the short change, are just some small things we are seeing changed each season. Periods are a part of life and we can’t change that, but I’m glad us and these other clubs have brought the conversation forward enough for people to consider how this may impact women in sport.”
Since the clubs announced their relevant kit changes, the reaction to the news on social media was mixed. Many women saw it as a positive thing for women’s football, but some men didn’t see it in the same way, they made jokes or said “nobody asked” or “nobody cares”.
Walklett said: “Abuse on social media is something as female athletes we are still fighting to escape, I know a few players who had their photos shared with the post and suffered abuse online about their appearance and other things.
“It’s a shame as we are pushing to break these barriers and yet some people still feel the need to try and build new ones. I think people always react negatively to change, but I feel we are setting the path for the next generation and that’s the most important part.
“I’ve seen parents comment about how the post inspired them to chat with their daughters about how periods may affect their game days and if they need any adaptations (under shorts/ tampons etc) to help them feel comfortable at football. That for us is what it’s all about.”
West Brom’s simple change of short colour hasn’t just impacted women’s football, it’s also had an influence in the tennis world.
Three weeks ago The All England Club revealed that in future Wimbledon tournaments female competitors will be allowed to wear mid- or dark-coloured undershorts, provided they are no longer than their skirts.
We soon could see a change of kit in cricket as some test cricketers have also spoken about the anxiety of bleeding in their whites while playing.
To conclude, who knew that a simple change of short colour would have such a significant impact on the whole of women’s sport?
Female athletes now have the courage to speak up and voice their concerns over their periods, which in turn could finally lead to the whole stigma surrounding periods being eliminated.
Sporty AF 