Female athletes are beginning to push back at having to wear all-white kits during matches while on their period, kicking the conversation around menstruation and sport into play once again.
The RTÉ Soccer panel discussed the growing discussion in a frank conversation between Richie Sadler, Liverpool and Rep of Ireland's Megan Campbell and former coach Lisa Fallon.
The conversation was raised twice in the last week, by the England football team after their opening Euros 2022 match against Austria on Wednesday and also by players and campaigners at Wimbledon who protested the tournament's strict all-white dress code.
"The world is starting to treat female athletes like female athletes." The RTÉ Soccer panel examine the changing views towards women's menstruation in sport, and how kit designs to reflect that are inevitable. pic.twitter.com/iNwuDiiR06
Since then, the Football Association has said that they welcome feedback on the issue but they're not in a position to change the kit before the rest of the matches.
"I think for the players on the specific issue of the kit, for the players to come forward and say that the current kit, the colours, is a source of anxiety on match days, you would assume that it's a matter of time before this issue is removed", Sadler says.
"Think of all the different things that are beyond your control, all the elements of a match situation or a big tournament, particularly being the host nation, that the players have to deal with psychologically and for this to be an additional source of anxiety or stress, you would think the common sense thing to do, the supportive thing to do, is to remove this as an issue."
Nike, the kit manufacturer, has said they will not change the kit in the coming weeks, but
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