NWSL's Orlando Pride Switch from White to Black Shorts Due to Period Concerns
The Orlando Pride of the NWSL are adding black shorts to their secondary kits due to period concerns.
"We must remove the stigma involved in discussing the health issues impacting women and menstruating non-binary and trans athletes if we want to maximize performance and increase accessibility to sport," general manager Haley Carter said in the team's announcement.
Multiple studies in recent years have drawn attention to the rates at which girls drop out of organized sports altogether, and puberty is among the contributing factors.
"The reasons behind not wanting to wear white shorts are clear, but it is unfortunately something that hasn't been addressed until recently," Pride midfielder Erika Tymrak said. "I think it's a big step for us as a Club to make players feel comfortable and allow us to focus solely on competing."
The Pride's uniform change follows similar efforts elsewhere in the sports world.
In November, the All England Club announced it will allow female players to wear dark undershorts at Wimbledon, an amendment to the tournament's long-standing all-white dress code.
The Athletic's Charlotte Harpur reported last July the England women's national team reached out to Nike, the squad's kit supplier about possibly ditching white shorts. Manchester City took the step in October, removing white shorts from the club's kit rotation.
