A HOST OF women’s inter-county football teams have moved away from wearing white shorts to alleviate concerns over periods for players.
“It is positive, but I do think it is something that shouldn’t be celebrated. It’s a practical change that should just happen,” Claire Hunt from Positive Period Ireland tells The42.
At the Lidl Ladies National Football Leagues launch last week, six out of seven representatives wore dark-coloured shorts, reflecting a growing trend in women’s sport.
The42 contacted the respective county boards afterwards to enquire if this was a conscious decision to alleviate period concerns, and whether this would be their kit for the year.
Kerry and Tipperary both confirmed as much; Meath stated it was a factor in their change from white shorts to green in 2017, and Galway likewise two years ago — “It was so the girls would be more comfortable during their period and also in the wet weather, the white shorts went kind of see-through which isn’t great. A lot of clubs in Galway have done the same in recent years”; and Dublin explained how it has never been an issue due to the tradition of navy shorts since its foundation in 1985.
While Mayo representative Shauna Howley was pictured in white shorts at last week’s launch, the county confirmed a change to red shorts on Sunday for their Division 1 opener against Cork.
The Rebels and Armagh were among others to wear dark-coloured kit over the weekend, having predominantly donned white in the past, with the latter shedding light on the decision on social media:
Over the past few months, it has been highlighted in the media how several sports have changed to alleviate player concerns about wearing white shorts while on their period.
— ArmaghLGFA (@ArmaghLGFA) January 23, 2023
We are delighted to introduce our new black shorts for seniors and navy for underage county squads. pic.twitter.com/FExh6ZhDdu
It’s understood rules around gear may have been tweaked to accommodate change.
The Irish Independent reported earlier this month that the Ireland women’s 15s and Sevens rugby teams will wear navy shorts from next season.
Several women’s soccer teams in England made the change in recent years, while the FA are currently in negotiations with Nike and Fifa over a switch for the Lionesses ahead of this year’s World Cup. It’s understood the FAI are also consulting players as they work with new kit suppliers.
Foxrock-Cabinteely were among the first Ladies Gaelic football clubs to shake it up here, and many others have since followed suit. Granada FC in Dublin, with whom Hunt is involved, “made the change several years ago and it’s only ever been hugely positive”.
Granada also partnered with Positive Period Ireland to provide free period products in its clubhouse toilets, “a big statement to our female members that we are an inclusive and forward-thinking club,” Hunt adds.
“They’re tiny little changes that just need to happen across the board. Sometimes with these issues, it’s just less talk and more action that’s needed. It’s the little changes that make the really big statements.
“We need to break down all these barriers that girls face. It’s tough enough playing a match, but the added pressure of a girl having to run out in the field when she’s got her period and wearing white shorts, you’re just gonna lose girls to sport that way.”
Research has found that 1 in 2 girls will drop out sport before the age of 13.
— Positive Period Ireland (@periodspositive) May 29, 2021
Small changes like dark shorts can help girls play sport with confidence.
We all need to work together to end period stigma & shame! pic.twitter.com/MTNvln7iAb
Research conducted by Lidl in 2017 showed that by the age of 13, one in two girls give up sport completely.
The statistics are damning, the drop-off rates alarming, and Kerry star Cáit Lynch echoes Hunt’s sentiments while welcoming Kerry’s new black shorts for 2023.
“I’m so delighted that we’ve made the switch this year. I was hoping that we would,” she says at the launch of Comórtas Peile Páidi Ó Sé 2023.
“We’ve seen the figures of the amount of girls that drop off, this is something simple that we can do, it’s not the biggest change in the world that you have to make, but if that keeps any few girls playing football, then it’s a really brilliant thing to do.
“And not even just for girls, it is a concern for any woman playing football. Particularly on gamedays, you have enough going on and if you’re on your period then, you might be bloated, you might have cramps – not having white shorts is one less thing to worry about. I’m absolutely over the moon, and hopefully more counties and more teams across different codes start to make the switch as well.”
“It is great that you see the domino effect of so many clubs rolling this out, but it just needs to happen. I mean it’s 2023,” Hunt stresses.
“We need clubs to have period products, we need clubs to have dark-coloured shorts. Periods happen every month as I always say, nothing’s going to change there, so let’s just keep the girls engaged.
“Whatever about girls who are teenagers and seeing these changes actually happen, I think what’s really brilliant is younger players coming up through academies or girls now who are seven, eight, nine, 10, that’s just normal now. They see these [period products] in the toilets, it’s all just normal. It’s no big deal.”
Lynch concludes that the Kingdom’s decision was “a combination of getting players’ input and county board level” and is similarly pleased to see any lingering stigma removed.
“It’s great to be able to talk more about periods as well. It opens up that conversation. There’s a huge amount of male coaches and managers across the country, so even just having this in the back of their mind, that this is actually a factor that women need to contend with, it is great.
“It’s that conversation piece, and Lidl have been working to combat period poverty in the past few years. The more we can discuss it, the better it is, because it is something female sportspeople just have to work around. You can’t change the day of the game just because you’re on your period.”
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