Chelsea warm up in ‘blood-stained shorts’ to challenge period stigma in sport

Chelsea players wore ‘blood-stained shorts’ during their warm-up ahead of Friday’s Women’s Super League opener against Manchester City as part of a campaign to counter the stigma around periods in sport.

The club were working in partnership with a period care organisation, Here We Flow, which aims to normalise playing sports while women and girls are on their periods, as well as challenge how they are presented in the media.

The initiative was inspired by research by the group which suggests 80 per cent of women would feel embarrassed if their period visibly leaked in public.

The back part of the right leg of the players’ shorts, which typically features a white design over a blue background, was stained red with simulated period blood during the warm-up before Sonia Bompastor’s side began the defence of their WSL title.

Aki Mandhar, chief executive of Chelsea Women, said: “At Chelsea we want to break down barriers and inspire change. We want to reset the narrative about periods, normalise them and in doing so empower and inspire the next generation of young girls, whether they play sport or not.

“Periods should be a source of strength and confidence for girls, not a hinderance.”