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Lionesses: England's new kit has blue shorts to tackle period concerns

The new England women's home and away kitsImage source, Nike
Image caption,

Nike's advert for the new Lionesses kit

The Lionesses will wear blue shorts instead of white ones in their new kit.

The England women team's new kit will be worn in their match against Brazil in Wembley later this week, and then in the 2023 World Cup in Australia.

It comes after players said the traditional shorts were not practical for when they are having their period.

During the 2022 Euros, the team spoke to Nike - who make the kit - about their concerns.

Several other women's teams across the UK have also changed the colour of the shorts in their kit, for the same reasons.

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Why will the Lionesses have blue shorts?

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The Lionesses spoke to each other, and their kit provider, about their period concerns

The colour blue was chosen to make the players feel more comfortable if they are playing while having their period.

Their previous shorts were white, and players said they had all talked about being worried about that their period could leak onto the material whilst playing a match.

What does the rest of the kit look like?

The home kit has blue shorts, and the traditional white top, with a blue trim.

The away kit is fully blue - both shorts and top.

Players including Beth Mead and Georgia Stanway spoke out about wearing white shorts during England's victorious Euro 2022 campaign.

At the time, the Football Association (FA) said the colour of the shorts would not change during the tournament, but that the situation would continue to be looked at and players' feedback would be taken into consideration for future designs.

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Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea's women's teams are among those to change the shorts colour of their home kits because of concerns about having to wear white while on their periods.

Also an under-15s team in Lincolnshire also decided to swap out their old shorts for black ones earlier this year, to help players feel more comfortable whilst on their period.

The players said they were very happy with the change - and it made them feel a lot better about something that is "very natural".

Why can periods cause problems whilst playing sport?

Image source, @Lionesses/Twitter

Some people can get painful cramps or feel uncomfortable whilst on their period, but it is not the same for everyone.

As well as potential aches and pains, footballers would have to remember to have enough pads or tampons to get through a game.

This can often make people worried about playing - and can even lead to some girls dropping out altogether.