The Lionesses had previously worn white shorts with their home kits, but will now have blue shorts; Beth Mead was among the players to express concerns over light-coloured shorts while players are on their periods; Man City and West Brom have already switched to dark shorts
Tuesday 4 April 2023 20:36, UK
England Women's new kits for the upcoming internationals have switched to blue shorts after player concerns over wearing white shorts during periods.
The Lionesses will wear blue shorts for both their home and away kits for this month's friendlies against Brazil and Australia and at the Women's World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand in July and August.
While the FA did not provide a reason for the switch in its media release, it has long been a concern expressed by the Lionesses, along with a number of female sports professionals.
Reacting to the news, England defender Lucy Parker told a press conference ahead of the Women's Finalissima on Thursday: "Anything that relieves the mental stress of the players is a good thing. If it's one less thing to worry about, then why not?"
In July, England forward Beth Mead explained the team had expressed their thoughts and worries over white shorts to kit manufacturer Nike, who have now responded to their requests.
"That is something we have fed to Nike. I think hopefully they are going to change that," the Euro 2022 winner said.
"It is very nice to have an all-white kit but sometimes it's not practical when it's the time of the month."
Nike too have announced their 2023 women's teams kits will include leak protection technology, with VP Women's Global Sport Apparel Jordana Katcher saying: "We are thrilled to offer this new innovation to all athletes playing for Nike-sponsored federations this summer.
"Professional footballers play two 45-minute halves without breaks or time-outs. Many told us they can spend several minutes on-pitch concerned that they may experience leakage from their period.
"When we showed them this innovation, they told us how grateful they were to have this short to help provide confidence when they can't leave the pitch." .
The FAI said on Tuesday that the Republic of Ireland team will continue to wear their traditional white shorts as part of their home kit. A statement said: "The Football Association of Ireland can confirm that, following discussions with the Ireland Women's National Team players, that the team will wear the traditional green jersey, white shorts and green socks as part of the new Castore home kit.
"The FAI consulted with the senior leadership group within the squad and with management on the possibility of switching the colour of the shorts but with the supply of protective underwear the players felt that staying with white shorts was the preferred option."
Women's teams at Manchester City and West Brom have recently switched to burgundy and navy shorts respectively, while the Ireland women's rugby team also announced a change to navy blue shorts last month.
The issue of women athletes wearing white clothing was also brought up at last year's Wimbledon tennis championships when female players spoke about the anxiety of being forced to wear white on their period.
The tennis tournament will make an exception to its strict all-white dress code and allow female players to wear dark coloured undershorts from this year's tournament.
Sarina Wiegman has handed recalls to Hannah Hampton and Esme Morgan, while uncapped Lucy Parker also returns to the fold as the Lionesses prepare for back-to-back fixtures against Brazil and World Cup co-hosts Australia in April.
Twice-capped Aston Villa goalkeeper Hampton returns for the first time since last summer's Euros triumph.
Manchester City defender Morgan won her three senior caps last October and November, while fellow defender Parker, of West Ham, is the only uncapped member of the 25-player squad.
Dropping out from February's selection are the injured Emily Ramsey along with Lotte Wubben-Moy, Katie Zelem and Ebony Salmon.
Chelsea forward Fran Kirby continues to be absent as she recovers from a knee injury, while Bethany England also misses out despite scoring six goals since joining Tottenham from Chelsea in January.
England squad in full
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps, Sandy MacIver, Ellie Roebuck, Hannah Hampton
Defenders: Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Alex Greenwood, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Lucy Parker, Leah Williamson
Midfielders: Laura Coombs, Jordan Nobbs, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Keira Walsh
Forwards: Rachel Daly, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Jess Park, Alessia Russo, Katie Robinson
The group stage will begin on July 20 and run over a two-week period finishing on August 3 and see group winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.
The quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.
The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
