– Women have expressed that this bothers them, so the result does not surprise me. That’s what Professor Alex Krumer says to news. He has recently researched the effect of playing in white shorts. The results are sensational. This is the research. The study has examined 234 matches in the WC and EC from 2003 up to and including the WC in 2023. The method used is regression analysis, which adjusts for team strength and other factors. The results show that women’s teams playing in white shorts score 0.32 to 0.37 fewer points when they play in white shorts. That means about one point, if three games are played. The study has also examined men who play in white shorts, but there is no effect. – Simply discomfort The study was carried out by Alex Krumer, professor and researcher at Molde University College. It shows that women actually lose as much as a third of points per game if they play football in white shorts. Krumer links the results to menstruation and leakage anxiety, and believes it affects women’s self-confidence and performance on the field. THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE: Krumer hopes the study can help and inform women’s sports. Photo: Jan Ragnvald Eide, HiMolde news has shown the research to several national team players. They are not surprised. – It’s a problem people are aware of, I’m not comfortable with it myself. It’s an interesting study, it’s a real problem with women’s soccer players, says Frida Maanum to news. She plays with white shorts both in Arsenal and with Norway. – Have you experienced it as uncomfortable yourself? – Yes, from time to time I feel uncomfortable with it, without it perhaps affecting an entire match. But you have it in your mind, something that is disturbing in many ways, says Frida Maanum to news. Ingrid Syrstad Engen recognizes the feeling of being afraid that something will happen when the white shorts are on. – It is simply discomfort during menstruation, I understand that one can be affected. So it is good that there are measures, that people see the importance of it, she says. The Norwegian national team players talk about white shorts in general, not Norway’s national team shorts. Heidi Støre is section manager for age-specific national teams in the Norwegian Football Association (NFF), and understands that it is uncomfortable. – I was lucky myself and played mostly in blue shorts. I have no problem seeing the challenge, says Støre. Several have stopped wearing white shorts The women’s national team in England, France and New Zealand have stopped playing in white shorts. – We are handling the problem as best we can, and have discussed with both the team and the kit supplier, Bethany Mead told The Guardian when the news was made public before the World Cup. Manchester City’s women’s team has ditched the white shorts. The tennis tournament Wimbledon previously required players to play in white, but now it is allowed to play in dark undershorts. HEILSVART: Norway suffered a surprising loss against New Zealand during the WC this summer. END: England did not play with white shorts during the World Cup this summer. Photo: CARL RECINE / Reuters HAS CHANGED COLORS: Manchester City player Lauren Hemp (left) plays in dark blue shorts. Here in a match against Chelsea player Jess Carter in October. DARK SHORTS: From 2023 it is legal to play Wimbledon in dark undershorts. Here is Aryna Sabalenka in action. – This is a problem that is bigger than just women’s football. It is a problem in general in women’s sports, says researcher Krumer. Norway still plays in white shorts, but offers the players an undershort developed together with Nike. The shorts have an anti-leakage system, and all players can use them. – Let’s hope that these measures clear the problem. If there are still players who are skeptical about the new shorts, we have to sit down and talk to the players. WE are not concerned that it inhibits performance, says Heidi Støre in the NFF. Norway’s national team captain, Maren Mjelde, says that it is not something she has any particular knowledge of. But he agrees with Engen and Maanum that if there is a problem, measures should be taken. – Many have taken measures. Either that one no longer plays in white shorts or uses undershorts. I personally have never thought anything of it. But it’s terrible if there is a fear there, says the Chelsea player. – Should one stop playing in chess? – If it can give a team or individual a better feeling for a match, then it should be taken seriously, and actually not play in white shorts anymore, she says.
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Women’s teams score far fewer points when they play in white shorts – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
