SANITARY products will be provided at more than 500 rugby clubs across England in an effort to boost female participation in the sport.
The RFU announced the initiative on Thursday as part of its legacy programme for the women’s World Cup in England next year.
A women’s health toolkit has also been introduced under the ‘Every Rose’ strategy, which aims to have more than 100,000 women and girls playing the sport by 2027.
After research by the charity Women in Sport found that seven in 10 teenage girls avoid activity when they’re on their period, the RFU says it wants to raise sanitary care levels at clubs as well as break the taboo around periods in women’s sport.
England captain Marlie Packer said: “I think clubs offering these facilities makes rugby more inclusive. Just the simple things of sanitary bins, I know that sounds a bit stupid, but we never used to see them in the clubs’ toilets and changing rooms.
“And now to see sanitary bins and products, whether that’s a sanitary towel or tampon that you can grab and use when you need, when you’ve been caught off guard, it’s a fantastic scheme.”
