Female footballers will no longer have to wear the white shorts traditionally donned by the “away” team after the AFL changed its uniform rules to ease anxiety for AFLW players who are menstruating.
The AFL announced on Thursday afternoon that AFLW clubs will from next season have an additional set of coloured shorts that are different from their standard home uniform. The move comes as female athletes in other sports, including tennis and cricket, challenge the traditional all-white dress codes for Wimbledon and Test cricket, respectively.
Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce celebrates the Demons’ AFLW flag.Credit:AFL Photos / Getty Images
“Following extensive industry consultation, the removal of white shorts will address athlete in-competition performance anxieties and barriers to participation across all levels of women’s and girls’ footy,” the league said in a memo seen by The Age.
“This initiative will take place across the AFLW competition, VFLW competition, AFLW U18 National Championships and any AFL-managed talent pathway activities from 2023 onward.”
On Thursday, women’s football general manager Nicole Livingstone said she was proud of the league’s decision.
“Australian football has progressed since the introduction of AFLW, and this change of policy showcases the commitment to the integration of women’s football and its unique needs,” she said.
Test cricket is another sport in which the all-white attire is being questioned.Credit:Getty
Laura Kane, the AFL’s competition manager, added: “This is a pinnacle moment in the AFL’s history, creating a uniform policy that reflects the modern needs of female athletes.
“There has been a movement in women’s sport globally to address athlete anxieties around wearing white shorts/pants during menstrual cycles. We have listened to our players and industry experts and created a best-practice policy to ensure we are removing any participation or performance barriers.”
Richmond player Gabby Seymour said players were relieved about the change. “[While white shorts] weren’t going to stop anyone from playing, we’ve got enough things to worry about, so it’s nice just to have one extra stressor taken away,” she said.
“We want every female player we can get – so if that’s one little thing that we can do that makes girls feel more comfortable to play, then I think that’s an awesome outcome.”
Wimbledon has relaxed its all-white dress code for 2023.Credit:Getty Images
She said the issue had been on players’ agenda for a while, but had only been a recent point of discussion with the AFL.
“People would be surprised about how many girls feel anxious about wearing white shorts, and how often that comes up as a discussion point,” she said. “At almost every away game people are like, ‘oh, no white shorts’, or, you know, ‘it’s my time of the month’ or ‘I’m worried about wearing this’.”
The change comes following a landmark study by Victoria University, which found that sports uniforms influences girls participation in sport.
More than 300 Victorian girls aged between 12 and 18 completed the study survey, and identified dark-coloured shorts, skirts or pants as a key to making uniforms more comfortable.
Last month the All-England club announced it was relaxing its stance on the all-white dress code enforced at Wimbledon for decades, and would allow tennis players to wear “coloured undershorts” if they wanted to.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King has previously spoken out about the concerns for female athletes.
“My generation, we always worried because we wore all white all the time,” King told CNN last month.
“And it’s what you wear underneath that’s important for your menstrual period.”
Wimbledon’s move will also take effect in 2023.
“We are committed to supporting the players and listening to their feedback as to how they can perform at their best,” chief executive Sally Bolton said in a statement.
“It is our hope that this rule adjustment will help players focus purely on their performance by relieving a potential source of anxiety.”
Former Australian cricketer Alex Blackwell recently questioned the need for women and girls to wear whites, saying it was “only a matter of time before a Test cricketer has a life-changing period accident broadcast live for the world to see”.
She said fear of bleed-through accidents stopped some girls from signing up to play sport.
“White pants simply must be removed from women’s sport,” Blackwell wrote in a column for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.
White uniforms are not the only barrier, with an independent review conducted for Netball Australia last year finding tight-fitting uniforms or skirts were turning some girls away.
“Some people don’t want to play because they don’t like the uniform, so, again, we’ve asked netball to be more flexible in allowing people to wear what they want to wear,” netball great Liz Ellis, who led the review, said at the time.
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