Lionesses switch to blue shorts for Women’s World Cup after players voice period concerns

Nike’s World Cup kits won’t feature white shorts after England players held discussions with the manufacturer

England have unveiled their home and away kits for the World Cup (England/Nike)

The Lionesses will wear blue shorts at the Women’s World Cup this summer after players voiced concerns over the impracticalities of wearing white shorts when they are on their period.

England wore all-white as they won the European Championships on home soil last year but Nike have unveiled significant changes to the kit’s design for the World Cup. The home kit features dark blue shorts, mirroring the trim on the white shirt, while the away kit is based around a lighter blue shade with patterned design.

England players revealed during the Euros last summer that discussions had taken place with Nike around changing the colour of home kit’s shorts, with forward Beth Mead saying that the squad were “hopeful for change” ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“It is very nice to have an all-white kit but sometimes it’s not practical when it’s the time of the month,” Mead said last year. “We have discussed it as a team and we have fed that back to Nike.”

The move has been replicated at other teams. Nike released home and away kits for 13 nations on Sunday night, including the USA, France and the Netherlands, with none of the 26 designs featuring white shorts following the feedback from England players.

Nike also said their designs featured period “leakage protection” integrated into the shorts. “We are thrilled to offer this new innovation to all athletes playing for Nike-sponsored federations this summer,” said Jordana Katcher from Nike. “Professional footballers play two 45-minute halves without breaks or time-outs.

"Many told us they can spend several minutes on-pitch concerned that they may experience leakage from their period. When we showed them this innovation, they told us how grateful they were to have this short to help provide confidence when they can’t leave the pitch.”

England will wear their new kit for the first time when they play Brazil in the inaugural women’s Finalissima at Wembley on Thursday.