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The Orlando Pride no longer plan to wear white shorts, a decision the club says is a first in the National Women\u2019s Soccer League<\/a><\/strong> done intentionally in response to players\u2019 concerns over competing during their period.<\/p>\n Orlando will wear black shorts with their white tops and white socks, replacing the all-white away kit that was released last year. The change will be made for all the club\u2019s girls youth teams as well, including dark shorts for practice gear.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir worst nightmare of people being able to see that they are on their period is not going to happen with the black shorts,\u201d Dr. Christine Greves, the team\u2019s OB-GYN through its Orlando Health partnership, told The Equalizer<\/em>.<\/p>\n Orlando\u2019s decision adds to a global push among women\u2019s athletes to eradicate Byzantine rules requiring white clothing. It also comes on the verge of the NWSL\u2019s impending shift into a new era of its relationship with Nike that will loosen rules around white kits and enhance customization within the league.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is simply no sporting or competitive reason for white shorts,\u201d NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Equalizer<\/em> in a statement. \u201cYou\u2019ve heard loud and clear from players why it\u2019s so important for our sport and league to adopt this easy fix. I can recall this being an issue that my U12\/13 teams talked about as a kid, so it\u2019s not a \u2018new\u2019 issue by any stretch. I\u2019m just glad to see common sense can finally prevail on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, Manchester City became the first English top-flight women\u2019s team to get rid of white shorts<\/a> following players\u2019 concerns about competing during their periods. During their march to a European title last July, England women\u2019s national team players voiced their desire<\/a> to amend the country\u2019s classic all-white kit.<\/p>\n Those conversations came after women\u2019s tennis players once again pushed back at Wimbledon\u2019s longstanding all-white dress code, eventually leading tournament organizers to allow for colored underwear<\/a> to be worn under white clothing beginning in 2023.<\/p>\n As each of those scenarios played out, the Orlando Pride organization took notice. Players raised the idea of amending their all-white kit, leading to some \u201ceye-opening\u201d conversations within the club, chief marketing officer Pedro Franklin de Araujo said. From there, a collective process ensued among players, technical staff, soccer operations staff and the business side.<\/p>\n \n Access the best women\u2019s soccer coverage all year long\n <\/p>\n \n Start your FREE, 7-day trial of The Equalizer Extra for industry-leading reporting and insight on the USWNT, NWSL and beyond.\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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