Adidas, in preparation for the next Women's World Cup 2023, has unveiled the largest-ever women's football kit bag. The company has collaborated with female athletes and professionals to develop a number of improvements tailored to women's football to help with every jump, tackle, pass, and strike.
Proper breast support is essential for preventing distraction, pain, and possible harm because breasts can bounce up to 11,000 times during a football game. Each team will receive individualised 1-1 fits supervised by Adidas' Expert Fitter collective to better support and equip Adidas federation athletes in advance of the competition.
Individual comfort is prioritised throughout the process of determining the best possible support and fit by examining body type and physical activity levels. Players will also have access to a sports bra solution, which will include some of Adidas' most technically advanced bras, thanks to the company's partnership with The Bra Professor, Joanna Wakefield Scurr of the University of Portsmouth.
The federation kits will include Adidas' period support performance shorts, designed to provide extra protection against leaks while using a tampon or pad. This development comes after the company learned that 75 per cent of female athletes have experienced or feared experiencing leaks during competition in response to direct concerns from players themselves.
When asked about adidas's goals, Senior Product Manager, Claudia Scholl, said:
“Football can be very physically demanding. Breasts can move up to 19cm in high impact movements. Players can make 100 sprints in a game where they reach in excess of 20KM/h. So correctly fitting products is essential. That’s why we are ensuring our teams get access to 1:1 fittings, technical sports bras and discreet period support; each rigorously tested in our innovation labs alongside athletes. This is an essential part of removing barriers to the sport uniquely faced by women – and just one of the ways we want to create pathways to sport at every level.”
The kit bag is unique not only because of the innovations contained within it, but also because of the sheer magnitude of the support it provides. In 2020, women's teams will have access to over 1,500% more clothes, hardware, and footwear designed specifically for them.
This follows the introduction of the Oceaunz Offical Match Ball and the first-ever nature-inspired away kits for women earlier this year. The latter includes connected ball technology and invests in the sport's future by donating one percent of global sales of the Oceaunz football to Common Goal's "Global Goal 5 Accelerator," an initiative to increase women's involvement in and leadership of youth football.
This year's tournament will feature 10 federations that are sponsored by adidas: Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Jamaica, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and Sweden.
In preparation for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023TM, adidas has made this statement as part of its largest ever commitment to the women's game. This initiative follows on the heels of CHAMPION THE GIRLS, which provided young women and their female role models with free tickets to the UEFA Women's Champions League Final 2023 in Eindhoven in the hopes of inspiring them to develop a lifelong passion for the sport.
