Eastern Suburbs celebrate winning their win over Western Springs. Photo / Photosport
Eastern Suburbs celebrate winning their win over Western Springs. Photo / Photosport
The male coach of New Zealand Football’s top women’s club side says men in coaching roles need education so they can help understand players concerns about menstruation.
Eastern Suburbs AFC — winners of the inaugural Women’s National League in December — switched from their usual white shorts to black inSunday’s round two of the NRFL against West Coast Rangers. The women’s premier and reserves teams made the change in response to period concerns for players.
Head coach Stephen Hoyle told the Herald the club had a duty to address “concerns” and “distractions” that wearing white shorts presents players while menstruating.
“I think it’s important that the club does what players want to do and what’s best for the players,” he said. “When I first started coaching female footballers that wouldn’t even come to my mind as an issue. I can’t ever experience what they (female players) experience.
“Every player has doubts in their mind and we should try and eliminate as many as possible.
“I’m not doing it so players have better performance; I’m doing it so they feel comfortable. I think it’s important to educate male coaches around these things.”
Football Fern and Eastern Suburbs midfielder Tayla O’Brien said she appreciated the transparency in discussions between players and coach.
“It’s actually nice to think that someone is listening to our concerns and actually making them valid and doing something about it.
“I think it’s great, it’s something that I’ve been wanting for years at Suburbs.”
Football Fern Tayla O'Brien plays the ball for her club side Eastern Suburbs in Sunday's match. Photo / JC Photography
Hoyle said it was important female players “feel comfortable, so they feel better about the football and ultimately better about themselves”.
“It’s bigger than football, isn’t it.
“If I wasn’t comfortable wearing something, then I wouldn’t wear it. It doesn’t matter if I’m playing football or in my house, I just wouldn’t wear it. I would not like to play football having to worry about other things.”
“I rang Stephen the other day as it’s quite topical in the news and said, ‘mate we’ve got to make a change here’.”
Players are pleased with the club’s decision to change.
Olivia Page, who represented New Zealand at last year’s under-17 Fifa World Cup, said: “I think it’s really good and it’s an important step for women’s football because we all spend so much time worrying about it that we lose focus in the game.”
Skipper Rachel Head laughed: “Luckily we changed when we did — three of us were on a heavy flow.”
O’Brien, one of those players, said: “It was nice to think, ‘oh I don’t actually have to stress about that today; it’s all good, I’m wearing black’.”
A 15-year-old Eastern Suburbs reserve player, Hannah Saxon, said after her first match wearing the black shorts: “I feel more comfortable in them.
“Whenever I’m on my period I’m scared I’m going to leak in the white kit so it’s a better opportunity for girls not to be so nervous.”
Hilton said the East Auckland club was considering whether to roll out the change of uniform for their youth and junior girls grades.
“The one thing we haven’t done is ‘what ages do we start?’ Do we start at 12, 13 or 14? Twelve would be great but I’ll let the mums tell me.”
O’Brien, who coaches a youth girls team at the club, said: “It’s always even a stress for me, like ‘oh my God, is a girl going to get her first period when I’m coaching?’.”
Hoyle, who is also Eastern Suburbs director of women’s football, said the change would run through all grades next year.
“I would do it tomorrow for the girls if I could,” Hoyle said.
“The only thing is the cost of it. I’m pretty sure you’d get a lot of kick back from parents who have just paid for the full kit for the season.
“You can tell me if I’m wrong because I don’t have good knowledge on this, but I would think it’s more important for teenage girls and young youth players to be protected and have that.
“I’m guessing if you’re a 20-year-old woman or an adult woman that you’re better equipped to deal with it than you are if you’re a teenager.”
Hoyle said “a lot of change that happens in the world is usually top-down”.
“When you look at the Ferns doing it and a premier club like ours doing it, it’s huge.
“But it’s usually the bottom end of it, all the masses that will benefit the most from it.”
