Free Period Starter Bag For Every Affiliated Female Team In Staffordshire
Free Period Starter Bag
The Staffordshire FA, Staffordshire Girls & Ladies League, Period Power, and FabLittleBag have collaborated to provide free period products and the ability to easily dispose of them, to female clubs in Staffordshire.
Every affiliated Girls & Women's team in Staffordshire will receive a stocked Period Bag, thanks to this partnership.
Our main objectives are to:
- Provide everyone with a Period Starter Bag to kick start the conversation & provide initial support to all female teams in Staffordshire.
- Educate everyone within the club on how they can be more female friendly and provide a safe, inclusive environment for all involved.
- Create partnerships with local charities and organisations who can support all clubs with products & education to embed within their community.
Period Power, a charity initially started to aid food banks locally, discovered the high demand for period products and has since expanded its scope. Linda Allbutt from Period Power said: “Period Power are thrilled to be supporting Staffordshire FA in their fight to make football more accessible to women and girls whether on their period or not. Period products should be freely available to anyone who needs them, for whatever the reason.”
FabLittleBag have provided the bags for the period products, they are designed to protect rivers, oceans and beaches from the pollution caused by flushed period products, and to make binning an easy confident experience for women and girls, regardless of the facilities. 2.5m tampons and 1.4m pads down the toilet each day in the UK, it is a big issue. FabLittleBags are made of plants and recycled plastics, supporting the circular economy of waste.
Martha Silcott, CEO & Founder of FabLittleBag, said: “I am so proud of Staffordshire FA that they have positively addressed not only the provision of free period products for their girls, but also the taboo area of disposal which can cause so much angst and stress when playing sports. It is fabulous that all the girls playing for Staffs FA will be able to Fab instead of flush and feel confident instead of uncomfortable when changing and disposing of their period products whilst playing the sport they love.”
Jo Waldron, Referee Secretary at Staffordshire Girls and Ladies League, said: “As a league we have offered clubs support with period products for the last 3 years, however this initiative has allowed us the opportunity to work in partnership on a larger scale to educate everyone involved within the Girls and Ladies league the importance of creating a female friendly environment to continue to engage more females within the game.”
Gemma Machin, Equality Officer at Staffordshire FA, said: “The Staffordshire FA is really pleased to bring together all of these partners to be able to provide female clubs in Staffordshire with the vital period products they need, free of charge. I want to extend my thanks to the partners who are involved in this amazing project, and we hope that it will make a huge impact in Staffordshire Football.”
This partnership is a positive step towards ensuring that female football players in Staffordshire have access to necessary sanitary products. The Staffordshire FA is leading the way in promoting gender equality and inclusion within football, which is essential to ensuring that everyone can participate fully in the sport.
Please contact Support@StaffordshireFA.com or refs-south@sglfl.co.uk for any further support.
We would like each team to:
- Keep this period bag in an accessible location (E.g. A kit bag)
- Communicate where and what this period bag contains for any members to access when they need it e.g. players, coaches, volunteers, parents
- Ensure the period bag remains well stocked throughout the season by the club. To find out more about FabLittleBag products and to access their products at a special discounted rate for your club please click here.
- Encourage open conversations, let’s stop this being a taboo subject
- Ensure any facilities used by teams have clean & accessible toilets
All teams playing within the SGLFL for the 23-24 season, will receive their period bag at the upcoming AGM.
Any teams playing outside of this league, Staffordshire FA will be in touch once they are affiliated for the 23-24 season to arrange collection/delivery for their team(s).
Period Power are a Staffordshire volunteer led charity who are determined to eradicate period poverty. Period Power have supported with free sanitary pads to be included within our hygiene bags that are being distributed to all female teams for 23-24 season.
FabLittleBag is a multi award winning female founded company on a mission. The mission is to educate and convert the millions who flush period products down the toilet about the damage this causes to rivers and oceans, and to encourage them to Bin instead. Secondly, to provide easy, hygienic and confident way for those who already bin their tampons and pads to dispose of them easily and hygienically, whatever the circumstances. We achieve all of this with sustainability at our core.
Made from sugar cane and recycled materials and vegan glue, FabLittleBag is the worlds first patented disposal bag that opens one handed for ease, is opaque for discretion and seals closed for good hygiene. They are on cruise ships, oil rigs, offices, hotels, restaurants, in the kit bags of Olympians, and in sports clubs everywhere.
Included in every period bag is a starter pack of Fab Little Bag sanitary bags.
To find out more about FabLittleBag products and to access their products at a special discounted rate for your club please click here.
Yes, we have created a hints and tips flyer to support you initially on creating an female friendly environment within football. This can be accessed here.
If you need any support during the season, please contact Gemma Machin on Gemma.Machin@StaffordshireFA.com who will be able to discuss the support available to your club. Please don’t be afraid to get in touch for more information or ask for support.
Yes, during the 2023-24 season we will continue to provide education and resources for you to utilise within your community. More details will be shared once available and confirmed.