The co-hosts of this year’s Women’s World Cup have unveiled new kits that directly address period anxiety among players.
For the first time, the Matildas kit will feature period protection in the base layer under the shorts, while the New Zealand women’s team will swap their traditional white shorts for teal blue.
They are the most comprehensive football team collections created for women by Nike, with the fit and material catered to the specific movements of female sports-players.
The Australian design, backed by women’s research and athlete feedback, integrate “leak protection” into the shorts with a combination of a laminate gusset, liner, and short construction.
The vice-president of women’s global sports apparel, Jordana Katcher, said Nike used 3D technology to create the “built-in brief” shape that aligns with the contours of the body.
“The construction involves a double layered material that acts as a liner and absorbs, wicks and holds menstrual fluid, with another layer that acts as an anti-leakage barrier,” she said.
“The best thing is how thin this protection is – only the thickness of a 10 cent piece.”
The decision follows similar moves by the England national women’s team and clubs including Manchester City. The Ireland women’s rugby union team have also moved away from white shorts due to potential blood leakage.
New Zealand striker Hannah Wilkinson said transitioning to teal shorts, which will receive their first outing in a friendly against Iceland on Friday, was “fantastic” for women with period anxiety.
“It’s always something that women athletes, not just footballers have had to deal with,” she said. “It just helps us focus more on performance and shows a recognition and appreciation of women’s health.”
The Nike Pacific vice-president, Ashley Reade, who partnered with Football Australia and the Matildas to create the new kit, said the patterns and colours were a celebration of diversity in an “accelerating year” for women’s sport and football.
Football Australia’s chief executive, James Johnson, said the occasion had been “generations in the making” and the kit would be worn with pride at the Women’s World Cup, which kicks off on 20 July in Auckland and Sydney.
It is the first time Australia and New Zealand have hosted the tournament and the first time it has been held in the southern hemisphere.
“The kit designed for the Matildas represents our diverse and beautiful game and the country that we call home,” Johnson said. “To see the kits on pitch is going to be such a special and unifying moment for everyone involved in the game – the pioneers of the past … and future generations.”
Matildas players have backed the design, lauding the kit, which also includes an inaugural inner pride mark of “For All” as a reflection of the team’s inclusivity.
Defender Ellie Carpenter said she was “grateful” the players had been given a voice to show “what is important and what we believe in”.
“To pull on that green and gold jersey for Australia, it’s very exciting and an honour I’ll never take for granted,” she said.
