As at the tennis tournament in Wimbledon, a discussion about white playing clothing for women also arose at the European Football Championship. According to media reports, the English players have asked their kit supplier Nike to swap out the white shorts for ones of a different color in order to avoid awkward situations during the period. “Hopefully they change that. White isn’t very practical when we’re at that time of the month,” said Arsenal’s Beth Mead, the goalscorer in England’s opening 1-0 win over Austria.
Midfielder Georgia Stanway, who will play at Bayern Munich from the new season, said: “We know it’s difficult because we all associate England with white. But it’s something that affects us as women.” The EM host team was all in white. For the German team, white trousers are only the third choice. She usually plays in black or green shorts at the European Championships.
The way athletes deal with their periods during a competition has so far mostly been a taboo. British tennis player Alicia Barnett has now spoken openly about the strain during the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon and brought up a change to the strict rules for white clothing. “Some traditions could be changed,” Barnett told the British news agency PA. She thinks the Wimbledon custom of wearing white is great, and the players dealt with it very well. But Barnett emphasized: “Having your period during the games is difficult enough. But then wearing white is not easy.” (dpa)