England’s Lauren Hemp and Lucy Parker have praised the decision to swap the team’s white shorts for navy ones to make players on their periods more comfortable, after the launch of the Lionesses’ kit for the World Cup which kicks off in July.
“It’s really important to us as players,” Hemp said, speaking before the Finalissima against the South American champions Brazil at Wembley on Thursday. “It’s been in discussions for years and it’s important we feel confident when we’re playing.
“This is a massive step in the right direction and Nike have taken a lot from our discussions in the past to make it real. That’s great because obviously we can now feel comfortable when sometimes we might not have been if it was your time of the month. It’s great to move away from the white shorts, not having that worry and focusing on the game.”
A number of teams in the Women’s Super League have swapped white shorts for darker colours in response to discussion with players about how wearing white shorts makes them feel while on their periods, including Hemp’s club, Manchester City, who switched to burgundy shorts.
“For us at City to move away from that helped other teams to move away from it,” Hemp said. “You don’t just want your own team but everyone in the environment to feel safe and comfortable. It’s great to have that and be able to start something where things have changed. You feel as players you are being listened to and you are safe and comfortable.”
West Ham’s Parker said: “Anything that relieves the mental stress from a player is a good thing. If it’s one less thing to worry about then why not?”
Hemp, who started in the European Championship final last summer in front of a sold-out Wembley crowd of 87,192, said she is looking forward to the next few years with England, despite Uefa announcing that Switzerland – where the largest stadium has a 38,512 capacity – will host Euro 2025.
“It will always be hard to top a home Euros in front of a packed-out Wembley stadium – obviously winning it as well – against Germany,” Hemp said. “Looking forward to the future, it might hold 38,000 but there’s still going to be so many fans that will be there. Hopefully it will be packed out and so many people watching from back home.
“The women’s game is growing so much that it will be on so many people’s TV screens and advertised so much that it will still be an incredible experience. I’m really looking forward to the next few years with England. Being in Switzerland will be a different experience.”
