Manchester City’s women’s team are set to wear burgundy shorts for the rest of the season after confirming their switch from white because of period concerns.
The move follows feedback from the City squad and a statement from the club and its kit manufacturer Puma said the decision had been made to help players “feel comfortable and perform at their highest level” when they are on their period.
City played in burgundy shorts with a sky blue home top in Wednesday’s Conti Cup fixture against Blackburn and the change is expected to be followed for the rest of the season, after Puma’s initial statement indicated the switch would be brought in from the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
Stoke City, West Brom and Scottish club Livingston have also made the decision to switch their shorts colour from white in recent weeks, with the Livingston captain Natasha Frew saying that the move would “reduce the anxiety among women in sport during their menstrual cycle".
Before City’s announcement, their manager Gareth Taylor said: "We’ve always spoken about supporting the players as best we possibly can, about improving levels for the girls as much as we possibly can, not just at this club, across the board for women’s football.
"I think it’s something we need to look at for sure, just so that we are offering the top-level support that we need to for the players."
England are also in talks with kit supplier Nike about changing their colour of the national team’s shorts. The Lionesses play in all-white strip, with the England forward Beth Mead saying during their Euro 2022 campaign this summer that the colour was not “practical” when players are on their period.
