Women’s EURO 2022: England team want to ditch white shorts over period concerns

By Alma Fabiani

Published Jul 7, 2022 at 11:11 AM

Reading time: 2 minutes

33340

Yesterday, Wednesday 6 July 2022, kicked off the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 with the England national team beating Austria 1-0 at Old Trafford. During the game, the team wore its all-white home kit made by Nike.

Now, recent reports have revealed that England women are looking into the possibility of wearing different coloured shorts due to concerns about having to wear white while menstruating. Members of the team have given feedback to Nike, the FA’s official kit manufacturer.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Beth Mead—who scored last night’s only goal against Austria—confirmed that the team have held discussions with the sportswear giant. “It’s something we’ve fed back to Nike,” she said. “Hopefully they’re going to change [the colour]. 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.”

The issue of elite sports women wearing white bottoms has also made headlines recently during Wimbledon 2022, where players have to abide by the All England Club’s infamously strict dress code. British doubles player Alicia Barnett, who beat Venus Williams and Jamie Murray in the second round, opened up about the stress of having to wear white while being on her period and suggested it was time to change.

“I do think some traditions could be changed,” she said. “I, for one, am a massive advocate for women’s rights and I think having this discussion is just amazing, that people are now talking about it.” When questioned on what the potential colour change should be, Mead continued, “I’m pretty easy, I’m pretty laid back to be fair. As long as I’m playing for my country, I don’t mind what I wear.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alicia Barnett (@lisseybarnett)

Wearing white for the annual prestigious tennis tournament has been a tradition since the early days of the sport, dating to the late Victorian Era in the 1870s. And over the centuries, the all-white rule has only become more strict.

In football, England midfielder Georgia Stanway said switching to another colour is not as easy as it sounds.  “It’s difficult because we associate England with white,” explained 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.”

She continued, “I think next year there is potentially a colour 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.”

Keep On Reading

By Charlie Sawyer

From performing at Mother Teresa’s canonization to 10+ film roles, no one works as hard as Rita Ora’s agent

By Charlie Sawyer

How Emily Bhatnagar transformed her father’s cancer battle into a lifeline for sick children

By Charlie Sawyer

22-year-old groom arrested after police find 9-year-old bride at staged Disneyland wedding

By Abby Amoakuh

Zoë Kravitz is pushing for a revival of women of colour-led TV series High Fidelity, but Hulu isn’t budging

By Charlie Sawyer

Bianca Censori to become the new face of SKIMS? Sources hint at Kim Kardashian alliance

By Abby Amoakuh

Celebrity Big Brother: JoJo Siwa’s partner Kath Ebbs turns off comments amid Chris Hughes romance rumours

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

How incel TikTok accounts are rebranding to avoid getting banned

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Why are so many women dying in jail? Reports point to inadequate medical care and systemic neglect

By Eliza Frost

Hailey Bieber’s new hands-free lip tint holder has everyone divided 

By Julie Huynh

Hockey fan edits are taking over TikTok, and it’s all thanks to Gen Z girlies

By Charlie Sawyer

Why Sabrina Carpenter’s sexuality is praised and Lola Young’s is picked apart

By Abby Amoakuh

Everybody’s talking about these White Lotus season 3 theories, and so should you

By Ilia Sdralli

Why people hate Taylor Swift’s fashion sense (and why they’re wrong)

By Charlie Sawyer

Sabrina Carpenter accused of centering men on controversial album cover

By Abby Amoakuh

From Andrew Garfield to Cillian Murphy, why are Gen Z women obsessed with slutty glasses?

By Charlie Sawyer

Why are today’s McDonald’s restaurants so dull and grey? Here’s what conspiracy theorists believe

By Abby Amoakuh

Is OnlyFans star Bonnie Blue married? Everything you need to know about the adult star’s secret hubby

By Abby Amoakuh

Aimee Lou Wood urges fans not to copy her teeth as DIY teeth filing trend rises on TikTok

By Eliza Frost

Kylie Jenner now follows Timothée Chalamet on Instagram, but he doesn’t follow her back

By Charlie Sawyer

Why are people so upset about JoJo Siwa’s $900 Dream VIP package on her upcoming tour?