Manchester City Women: WSL club stop wearing white shorts because of period concerns
- Published
Manchester City Women wore burgundy shorts as they won 6-0 at home to Blackburn on Wednesday
Manchester City Women have brought forward a move to change the colour of their shorts to help players "feel more comfortable" while on their periods.
The Women's Super League club initially announced on Tuesday that the change would come into effect next season.
But they will now play in their burgundy change shorts for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign to help players "perform at their highest level".
The team wore the shorts in their FA WSL Cup win over Blackburn this week.
The move follows decisions by clubs including West Brom, Stoke and Scottish side Livingston to change kit colour in response to the issue.
A joint statement from Manchester City and kit manufacturer Puma said the move away from white shorts in home, away and third kits was guided by player feedback.
"We will always provide an alternative to solve the issue highlighted by women across all sports," the statement read.
England squad members including player of the tournament Beth Mead raised the topic following the Lionesses' opening match at Euro 2022, with the FA subsequently releasing a statement saying that it would use feedback from players in "close consultation" with kit designers Nike.
Speaking after Stoke announced their decision, head coach Warren Holmes said the Potters' switch to red shorts showed sport was "open to change".
"It also highlights the need for constant dialogue with players regarding the menstrual cycle," he added.
"The menstrual cycle is normal. The more we open the room for conversation and the more male coaches in the female world understand and discuss the topic, the more we can change the game for the better."
After Livingston announced earlier this week that they would be changing from white to black shorts, club captain Natasha Frew said the move would "reduce the anxiety" among women in sport around their menstrual cycle.
Speaking after Tuesday's initial announcement and discussing his club's position as the most high-profile British women's football side to make the change, City manager Gareth Taylor said: "We've always spoken about supporting the players as best we possibly can.
"[It is] about improving levels for the girls as much as we possibly can, not just at this club, across the board for women's football.
"I think it's something we need to look at for sure, just so that we are offering the top-level support that we need to for the players."
Speaking during Euro 2022, external, former England defender Anita Asante said she had heard the issue being "shut down" when raised in the past, adding that players who were required to play in white shorts during their periods felt "dread".
"Ultimately, when you've got to go out there and perform, it can affect the performance because you become extremely self-conscious," the five-time WSL winner with Arsenal said.
Former Olympic tennis champion Monica Puig publicly highlighted the issue when she discussed the "mental stress" of wearing white at Wimbledon during periods earlier this year.
Opening batter Tammy Beaumont has said she was one of several England cricketers to find wearing whites an anxious and "daunting prospect", external during a Test against India in 2021.
Women's health advocacy group The Well HQ has reported that 64% of school-age girls will stop playing sport by their mid-teens because of period pain and shame, while an Adidas survey in 2021, external reported one in four girls dropped out of sport in adolescence, with fear of period leakage a key reason.