Over 3000 female grassroots football players set to Benefit from free period products

East Riding FA and FabLittleBag join forces to ease period poverty.

• Free Period products available to over 160 East Riding FA affiliated teams

• Nearly a quarter of women (24%) have admitting missing sport or social activities due to struggles with affording period products,*

• 1 in 5 (20%) coping by using makeshift materials, such as loo roll or sponges.*

East Riding FA are proud to announce that we have partnered with the award-winning FabLittleBag (FLB) to provide female players, coaches and spectators with free period products.

A recent Women in Sport survey found that nearly eight in 10 (78%) of girls who said they used to be sporty admitted they avoided taking part in sport when on their period with seven in 10 girls saying that they avoided sport when menstruating, citing pain, tiredness and self-consciousness.

Our aim is to increase the opportunity for females to continue participating in football during their period by providing discreet products which are free and available on demand.

Over 160 female teams from across the region will be provided with a FLB Coach’s bag which will contain environmentally friendly tampons and pads as well information and top tips cards. 

The bags will be available to teams at all age grades with over 3000 female players from across East Riding set to benefit. The products are also available to female coaches and spectators.

East Riding FA are committed to ensuring that women and girls feel they belong and are welcomed in their clubs with their basic menstrual needs being met through every team having an emergency supply of sanitary products.

The collaboration with FabLittleBag will help educate male coaches on the importance of maintaining positive period care with the aim also being to eradicate the stigma that some females feel during their periods. 

Rebecca Bolton, Participation Officer (Inclusion) at East Riding FA, said: “We are delighted to to be able to offer all the regions female football teams a FabLittleBag Coach’s Bag. We want coaches and managers to make these as normal as a first aid bag with the bags regularly topped up and available at all training sessions and matchdays. 

We are confident that this will reduce pressure on players who feel they cannot attend training or games as they have either no or limited access to Period products with it also helping female coaches and spectators who get ‘caught short’. 

Having a FabLittleBag also means that disposal becomes an easy and confident experience which will give women and girls a more positive experience within grassroots football.  

The East Riding Girls League and East Riding Women’s league are keen supporters of this initiative, and we thank them for their support as we do Martha Sillcott at FabLittle Bag who is committed to helping increase opportunities for women and girls to play football.”

Martha Silcott, CEO & Founder of FabLittleBag, added: "I am so proud that East Riding FA have positively addressed both the provision of free period products for their women and girls in case they get ‘caught short’.

Facilities can vary, so making changing and binning tampons and pads a relaxed easy experience is a game-changer for women and girls. Now all the girls playing for East Riding FA will feel supported and welcomed by their Teams whilst playing the sport they love."

Clubs also have the opportunity to show their support for women and girls in football by becoming a Period Positive Kitemarked Club. More details can be found here.

Team managers will be contacted directly with information on how they can claim their free FabLittleBag.

For more information on FabLittleBag and its product offerings, please visit the company's website at fablittlebag.com

*Water Aid survey – 25th May 2022