See why England women’s football team switched to blue shorts

The England women’s national football team will be wearing blue shorts instead of white according to a statement released by the Football Association (FA) on Monday.

This change comes after players expressed concerns about playing in white shorts during their menstrual cycle.

While the FA did not provide a reason for the switch, England forward Beth Mead had previously explained that white shorts were “not practical when it’s the time of the month” and the team had spoken to their official kit manufacturer Nike about potentially changing them.

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The new blue shorts will be worn for both home and away kits in upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Australia, as well as at the FIFA Women’s World Cup taking place in Australia and New Zealand later this year.

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Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion women’s teams have already switched to navy and burgundy shorts, respectively, while the Ireland women’s rugby team announced a change to navy blue shorts last month.

The issue of women athletes wearing white clothing during their menstrual cycle was also raised during last year’s Wimbledon tennis championships, with female players expressing anxiety about being forced to wear white.

In response, the grass court Grand Slam will allow female players to wear dark-coloured undershorts from this year’s tournament onwards, making an exception to its strict all-white dress code.