Women’s football has come a long way in recent years, yet some women are still having to wear men’s kit to play in. We speak to female footballer Tara Kirk on what it means to her
It’s time to close the gap on women’s football once and for all and here’s why. As the Euro’s heats up and the women’s team gear up for a summer of football – it’s bizarre to think they were most likely forced to wear mens kit and boots growing up.
Women’s football has come a long way in recent years, including the need for a women’s kit. While it may sound ludicrous, there was once a time your favourite lioness or women’s player only had the option of wearing men’s shorts, boots and shirts.
Data shows a correlation between female football injuries and their boots – as women’s boots only first launched in 2016. As a result, it was causing more and more women to suffer excruciating injuries because of it. Now women’s boots have launched, it now gives female players a wider choice in what they can wear.
For years, female athletes were left to wear the hand-me-down kits of their male counterparts, leaving them with ill-fitting shorts that could have potentially affected the comfort and performance of the players.
Footballer Tara Kirk is one of the many players who have grown up never having having a female kit. She has seen the shift in attitude towards female players and their kit and is delighted at the change.
The 22-year-old told The Mirror: “The differences I notice as a female footballer is that women’s kits fit to shape. As women are curvier, and have obvious body parts that are different to men, the women’s kits are designed to fit the right places. As you know, men’s and women’s bodies are completely different.
“Women have hips and boobs, bigger bums, not as broad, different waistlines. So, it’s important for sports clothes to compliment these areas and feel supported, rather than squeezing into men’s fit kits and potentially affecting your game.”
The striker, who plays for Peterborough women, reckons the issue around women originally being forced to fit into the men’s kits was most likely down to the women’s teams not being able to financially afford it – or not deeming it a big enough issue.
She continued: “Growing up, women’s fit football kits weren’t a thing. Although we’ve come a long way, it’s still not right to make women wear clothes that don’t fit, it shouldn’t be an option.”
Speaking from experience, Tara said she, and other female players she’s grown up playing alongside, feel that having to wear men’s kits has made them feel “very self conscious”. Especially going through puberty and experiencing changes within their bodies led them to “trying to style the kit to suit” their new bodies.
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“This can be having the shirt too tight across your chest, or rolling your shorts to make them fit the legs and hips, but then this causes an unflattering look,” she adds.
Football shirts have become a fashion statement in recent years, and it’s shifted a change in more women openly wearing their favourite teams colours. In 2024, researchers found that sales of women’s football shirts were up 17%, compared with 8% for men’s football shirts. However, the options available for women remain limited.
In July 2023, following the Lionesses Euro’s victory, a petition began doing the rounds on social media. Set up by teenager Emmy Somauroo, the petition called for Nike, the sponsor of the Lionesses, to produce a replica shirt for the star of the tournament, goalkeeper Mary Earps. A month later, more than 150,000 people had signed the petition and Nike eventually did the right thing – they produced the shirt.
“I think football fashion is growing, and we are seeing more adaptations and improvements to women’s football kits, it’s just a shame that it’s not accessible to everyone,” Tara said.
For Arsenal fans, there are just 24 women’s T-shirts available on the website compared to 33 for men, while Chelsea have 31 versus 78. Manchester City only has nine women’s shirts available compared to 65 for men. England is not great either, with just 61 women’s shirts when there are 147 available for men. This could be put down to the fact that female football fans are a growing rather than established market for sports brands, but the gap is right there. It’s time to close that gap in representation.
Tara continued: “The England women’s Euro kit has been designed to fit the women’s body, and the lionesses look great! Every team in the euros have women’s fit kit, it’s great to see, but my thoughts on it only just being done makes me sad. It’s quite obviously something that needed to be sorted a long time ago to prevent girls feeling self conscious and uncomfortable so they can play to the best of their ability.
“You would never think to make a man wear an item of clothing and perform a sport in it that is designed for women, as it would clearly make them feel uncomfortable and insecure,” she added.
So when it comes to boots, brands are finally starting to launch women’s boot collections. It’s scientifically proven that women have a different foot shape to men, where the arches in the female foot are higher, as well as less wide and smaller.
Tara explained: “The women’s boot designs have taken this into consideration and changed parts of the boot such as the stud to compliment how the women’s body may turn when your foot is stamped into the ground, compared to a man’s. So the studs are angled slightly differently, the adidas F50 Sparkfusion female boot is an example of this.
“I am delighted and proud to see many campaigns, and new product launches over the recent years empowering and growing the female game. It is really helping highlight change within the female game and showcase the amazing female athletes. Hopefully it continues.”
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