3,400+ girls powered by WUKA: Period inclusive sport is a right

Imagine being worried about not being able to do the sport you love. Not because of an injury or time commitment, but because of something that was out of your control.

How would you feel? Pretty bad.

For thousands of young girls in grassroots sports, this isn’t just a hypothetical scenario. It’s their reality. The fear of judgement creeps in, confidence slips and they drop out before they’ve even had a chance to progress into elite level sports.

Then add in puberty and periods into the picture. The barriers only keep on building up here.

Periods Shouldn’t Decide Who Gets to Play.

78 per cent of girls avoid sports on their period (Women in Sports) and it’s time this changed.

Young girls, we’ve spoken to, have openly expressed their fears. The fear of leaking through their kit during training, not being able to play to their full ability on match day and worrying about cramps kicking in.

How many sports are period-inclusive and support their female athletes? How many clubs have the funding to be able to do so? Especially grassroot clubs.

Grassroot Clubs Deserve More

Most sponsorships you see are transactional. Money for brand awareness. Great.

But what if you could make them more authentic? Grassroot clubs shape the confidence and self-belief of the future generations. This is where girls fall in love with sport and build a sense of a community. Yet too often, they’re overlooked.

Girls won’t care about the brand logos on their football kit if they’re no longer showing up to training.

That’s why at WUKA, we’re prioritising grassroot clubs instead of regional or national leagues. There’s no point in supporting national teams if not all girls can aspire to reach that level. Real change has to start at the source of the problem.00

Building Period Inclusive Sports Communities

Every club that partners with WUKA’s Tackle Anything campaign receives a free pair of WUKA period underwear for each youth athlete alongside period sports education delivered with 3x Olympian and Commonwealth Champion Hannah Miley.

It’s not just about the kit. It’s about the confidence WUKA brings to each athlete, creating an empowering environment for girls on the pitch, at school and at home.

Since 2025, we’ve built a community of over 3,400 girls and we’re not stopping.

We don’t look at the club’s social media following or number of athletes before partnering with grassroots clubs. Why should we?

Participation in sport shouldn’t depend on who is lucky enough to be in a WUKA supported club. That’s why we directly go to clubs across different sports. A girl’s needs don’t disappear just because her sport is less visible. They all deserve the same support.

That’s why we don’t just support football clubs, we’re also backing girls in netball rugby, roller hockey and even taekwondo.

The core of Tackle Anything is community. We want to make a realistic impact – the support we provide has to fit realistic sporting environments of everyday girls. Not just the ideal ones.

If you want to be part of creating a period inclusive sports environment, you can email [email protected] to learn more.