Care is part of the game: supporting women in sport, on and off the pitch.By Astrid Stealey, Area Managing Director, South and Sub-Saharan Africa at KenvueBanyana Banyana have become one of South Africa’s most visible examples of what women can achieve when talent is matched by opportunity, preparation and support.Their influence reaches well beyond what happens during 90 minutes on the pitch. When young girls see the national team representing South Africa at the highest level, they can see a place for themselves in sport too. But if we want more girls to follow that path, we also need to address the everyday barriers that can make participation harder.
Menstrual care is one of them.For women and girls, access to trusted menstrual products, reliable information and an environment where periods can be discussed without embarrassment should be an ordinary part of participating in sport. When these are missing, confidence can suffer and participation in school, sport and community life can be interrupted.It may be less visible than a shortage of facilities, equipment or funding, but its effect can be just as limiting.Supporting performance means supporting the whole athleteElite sport is built on preparation.
Training, nutrition, recovery and mental readiness are all accepted as part of helping athletes perform at their best. Menstrual care should be treated in the same practical way.Players should not have to manage their periods in silence or feel that menstrual care sits outside the structures designed to support their performance. The same principle applies beyond professional sport.
A young footballer should be able to arrive at training knowing that having her period does not place an additional obstacle in her way.Kenvue’s global research found that nearly nine in ten respondents believe their personal care routines have a positive effect on their health, while most spend less than half an hour a day on them. Care does not have to be complicated to matter. Small, consistent actions can help people feel prepared and able to participate fully in their lives.That connection between everyday care and participation sits at the heart of Stayfree’s partnership with Banyana Banyana.
Through the partnership with the South African Football Association, Stayfree became SAFA’s Official Sanitary Pad Sponsor under the #KeepingThemLockedIn campaign platform. The partnership connects the visibility of elite women’s football with practical support for girls and young women at grassroots level.Goals4Pads is one expression of that commitment. Through the initiative, goals scored by Banyana Banyana trigger donations of sanitary pads to schools, football academies or community organisations in South Africa.
The partnership has also introduced the Stayfree Soccer Collective, a group of young female football freestylers representing the next generation of talent the campaign aims to keep in the game.Keeping the next generation in the gameBanyana Banyana’s significance cannot be measured only by results or individual tournaments. Their place among Africa’s leading teams shows what is possible when women receive the opportunity and backing to compete at the highest level. But inspiration alone is not enough.Girls leave sport for many reasons, including limited resources, social pressure and inadequate facilities.
Access to menstrual products should never be another one. Closing that gap requires action from brands, sports bodies, schools, coaches, families and communities.Coaches have a particularly important role because they shape team culture as well as performance. An environment where menstrual health can be discussed openly treats it as part of preparation, rather than something players must raise awkwardly or manage alone.
The value of supporting Banyana Banyana therefore extends beyond the national team. It lies in what their platform can help make possible for the generation following them: more girls able to participate, more open conversations about menstrual health and greater recognition that personal care forms part of the conditions women need to succeed.Supporting women in sport is not only about celebrating exceptional performances.
It is also about building the everyday conditions that make those performances possible.Banyana Banyana have shown what women can achieve on the biggest stage.
The challenge is to make sure more girls have the opportunity, confidence and practical support to follow.For Stayfree, that means continuing to place menstrual care within the wider conversation about preparation, participation and achievement.When everyday care is treated as part of what women and girls need to succeed, it becomes part of what makes performance possible.Care does not take her away from the game. It helps keep her in it.
