The English defeated Nigeria on penalties in the round of 16
The England women's national football team, which will face Colombia on Saturday for a place in the World Cup semi-finals, has stopped wearing the traditional white shorts after players raised concerns about menstruation.
The uniform they have played in since April has dark blue shorts.
English players such as Beth Mead and Georgia Stanway have spoken out against white shorts during Euro 2022.
The FA said at the time that it would analyze the situation and take the players' opinions into account in future projects.
The federation said: “We want our players to feel that they have our continued support in this matter.”
Firstly, some English clubs, such as Manchester City, have decided to change the color of their uniform shorts to address players' concerns about wearing white while menstruating.
Subsequently, Nike, the supplier to the England national team and 12 other countries, redesigned the official uniforms for the World Cup being held in Australia and New Zealand.
It's not just the color change, but the new pieces also include a lining that protects against potential leaks.
“Professional soccer players play two 45-minute halves. Many have told us that they may spend several minutes on the field worrying about potential leaks,” said Jordana Katcher, global vice president of women's sportswear for the brand.
“We are excited to offer this innovation to all female athletes who play in Nike-sponsored associations.”
Trend in women's sports
“We wanted to make sure our players were focused on the game and not distracted by that anxiety,” said Lisa Gibson of the Nike Advanced Innovation Collective.
The New Zealand national team, which was already eliminated from the tournament, also replaced white shorts with dark-colored models for the same reason.
Hannah Wilkinson, one of the team's players, said the decision was “great for women who suffer from any type of menstrual problem.”
Other teams, such as the United States, are wearing white shorts in the current tournament.
The 2022 Wimbledon dress code allows tennis players to wear dark-colored shorts for the first time
The trend comes on the heels of the historic change to the dress code at the 2022 Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
After more than a century of tradition in which all participants were required to wear “white on white” during matches, organizers last year allowed tennis players to wear dark shorts for the first time.
Getting a uniform that adapts to their bodies and needs has been a struggle for athletes for years.
For decades, since women's football was banned in England, female footballers have worn uniforms designed for men.
For Ali Bowes, PhD, sociologist of sport, there are still “gaps, problems and challenges” to be solved, such as football boots, which are typically made with men’s feet in mind.
However, the increasing visibility of women's football has attracted the interest of designers and fashion brands in the sport.
For example, Calvin Klein and Gucci recently included female soccer players in their advertising campaigns.
Following the shock early elimination of the United States and Germany from the 2023 FIFA World Cup, many eyes are on England, the current European champions and one of three unbeaten teams so far in the tournament. The other two are Japan and Sweden.
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