KIT COUNTS

Equality in sport is a big issue and it is more important now that there is worldwide coverage of sports through news and marketing. When Dick Kerr's Ladies were playing to raise money for the war effort, around the time of the First World War, their kit was modest and reasonably practical. Actually it was quite advanced and daring. Not all sports' kits were so suitable

Religious beliefs have an influence on sports' dress too! Many teenage girls drop out of sports because as they go through puberty they are inevitably more conscious about their bodies; The "Women in Sport" organisation found that 76% of school girls are self-conscious about their appearance and body, don't like getting sweaty and "don't like themselves in sports' kit". High numbers stop playing as a result.
Fashion always sets trends in sportswear. Advertising is crucial. Safety vital.

So the impact of of wearing the wrong kit goes beyond body confidence. Last year, Australian company Ida Sports crowdfunded its mission to design a football boot especially for women, of whom a majority were wearing small male or childrens' boots. There were no obvious options beyond footwear designed for "a footballer", so there is no particular boot designed to suit the female foot which is physiologically different from male. In 2016 Adidas revealed the first female boot. This year Nike has unveiled bespoke kits for 14 national  teams playing in the 2019 FIFA World Cup, the first time women have had specifically designed kits and not derivatives of men's kit.

Research has shown that women wearing inappropriate kit may be up to six times more likely suffer anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the knee more than men playing the same sports. There must be a link, especially with footwear.

It is not just the footwear that needs to be designed to suit the female form, there are stories of cycling saddles that appear to be designed for the male form. Saddle shape and position are designed by men for men; they don't suit the female "crutch".

Serena Williams feels more comfortable playing tennis in a "cat suit", rather than the traditional pleated skirt and collared shirt, which is fair enough, although she makes a fashion statement by choosing a Black Panther-style cat suit, usually not white, very much against what Wimbledon expects! Sponsorship holds the sway on that commitment.
At the French Open her choice of kit was banned, however she claimed that her 21st Century suit compressed blood clots. a complication experienced by her, after the birth of her child. This year the rules are going to be relaxed and more suitable dress allowed at tennis tournaments.

At the London Olympics (2012!) the Badminton World Federation tried to make skirts or dresses mandatory for female competitors "to ensure attractive presentation". The BWF eventually back tracked.

Netball players prefer to wear a Mizuno all-in-one suit rather than the traditional netball dress, which is still the norm in big international tournaments and just are not practical and revealing.

Female athletes, such as GB's Stoke born, Jazmin Sawyer, a Commonwealth and European medalist, perform in crop tops and "pants" which whilst practical, reveal much about their bodies and can be as she says "a distraction". Social media may respond one way or another about her appearance and stadia big screens reveal all to the world to the athlete running round the track.

So there you are....a strange series of thoughts stimulated as ever by something out of the press. I'm going to watch "The Keeper" this week the life story of Bert Trautman who played post war through into the 60's. I know he wore a woolly goalkeeper's jumper, woollen socks, and his gloves were probably made of cotton. Much has changed.