The England women’s national team is looking into possibility of ditching its white shorts over players’ concerns about wearing white while on their periods.
The team has discussed switching the color of the shorts with Nike, according to The Telegraph. That was confirmed by Beth Mead, who scored the lone goal for the Lionesses in their Euros opener Wednesday.
“It’s something we’ve fed back to Nike,” Mead said. “Hopefully they’re going to change that [the color]. It’s very nice to have an all-white kit but sometimes it’s not practical when it’s the time of the month. We deal with it as best we can. We’ve discussed it as a team and we’ve fed that back to Nike.”
She added that she doesn’t have a preference for what the potential color change would be, saying she’s “pretty laid back.”
The issue of women athletes’ dress requirements has become more widely discussed in recent weeks, with players at Wimbledon opening up about wearing white while on their period and suggesting a change to the Grand Slam’s all-white dress code.
Not everyone, though, feels as though the issue is as easy as changing the color. England midfielder Georgia Stanway called it “difficult.”
“We associate England with white,” said Stanway. “The home kit is unbelievable, it looks really nice. I think that’s something that we can speak about as a full squad, as a group of girls.
“I think next year there is potentially a color change going in. I think it’s hard, because once you’re on the grass, nothing else matters. I think we have a good doctor who likes to look after us. As soon as the adrenaline comes in, you could be naked and nobody cares. That’s what happens when you’re on the pitch, you forget about everything.”
