ECB to provide free period products at all grassroots clubs with girls' teams
- Published
England player Tammy Beaumont has supported the ECB's programme
The England and Wales Cricket Board will provide free period products at all grassroots clubs with girls' teams.
In partnership with Initial, the programme will supply free and discreet access to in-cubicle period products.
Following a successful trial in Derbyshire, it is now being rolled out across England and Wales.
The ECB's head of female participation, Tessa Whieldon, said "inclusive" facilities are crucial to making people feel "cricket is a game for them".
"Bringing period dignity to grassroots cricket is one step of many towards becoming a more diverse and inclusive sport," she added.
England cricketer Tammy Beaumont has previously discussed the difficulties of juggling periods with wearing cricket whites.
When the grassroots pilot initiative was announced in June, Beaumont said: "We want as many girls and women as possible to feel that cricket is a game for them - and in order to do that we need to ensure that everyone is comfortable, and everyone feels supported."
Research has shown that periods and the lack of period facilities at grassroots clubs can be a barrier to participation for girls and women.
Women's health advocacy group The Well HQ stated that 64% of school-age girls will stop playing sport by their mid-teens because of period pain and shame.
In the past year several football teams, including the Lionesses, have opted to change their kits from white shorts to reduce anxiety around playing while menstruating.
Some football clubs - including Brighton, Fulham and Barnsley - provide free sanitary products for female fans after groups campaigned for better access to period products at football grounds in the UK.