Periods Are Part of the Game: A Coach’s Guide to Keeping Every Girl Involved

This May, we are focusing on a reality that has been overlooked in sports for too long: “periods are part of the game.” For many adolescent girls, the transition into puberty is the most common time to drop out of sport. Silence and stigma around menstruation serve as significant barriers; research shows that 7 in 10 adolescent girls avoid physical activity during their period due to symptoms like pain, but also due to deep-seated insecurities and the fear of leaking or staining (Women in Sport, 2022; Goorevich & Zipp, 2024).

As a coach, you don't need to be a medical expert or have individual conversations to make a difference. Athletes are calling for support: 98% of athletes believe it is important for coaches to understand the menstrual cycle, and 84% feel coaches can help them cope with its impacts (Goorevich & Zipp, 2024). By establishing a “Period-Friendly Space,” you can ensure that your athletes feel safe, supported, and valued for their commitment rather than marginalized by a natural process.

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Here are three proactive ways to lead this shift on your team this month:

1. Normalize Support Through Visible Action

Instead of relying on a formal speech or explicit dialogue, you can establish a team norm of safety by providing physical symbols of support. These signals prove the organization is prepared for the biological realities of its athletes.

• Equip and Display a “Menstrual Care Kit”: Introduce a dedicated team kit as a standard piece of equipment, just like the first-aid kit. Ensure it is stocked with a variety of products (pads, tampons, liners), wet wipes, hand sanitizer, a change of clothes, and a heating pad (Tucker Center, 2024).
• Signaling Safety: By making this resource visible and accessible in team bags or restrooms, you signal that the topic is safe and normalized without needing to “openly call it out.” A casual mention like, “The team kit is stocked with extra hydration and heating pads if anyone needs them today,” indicates you understand the factors affecting an athlete's energy without requiring a disclosure from her.

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2. Build a Supportive Peer Culture

Currently, 56% of teens feel period discussions are missing from sports (PERIOD., 2025). When coaches provide the physical infrastructure for support, it creates the “cultural safety” necessary for athletes to support one another.

• Foster “Menstrual Moaning”: Create a team environment where athletes feel safe sharing “woes, funny stories, and advice” with each other (Tucker Center, 2024). This practice breaks down the shame barrier and allows peer-led normalization to happen naturally.
• Valuing Voice: This builds a “protective bubble” of trust. As one athlete noted, “You’d tell your coach if you had a leg cramp... why not other body parts?” (Goorevich & Zipp, 2024).

3. Proactively Adapt for Peak Engagement

Transition away from a “sit out” culture. When an athlete is struggling, she isn't looking for an excuse to leave; she is looking for a way to stay connected. 93% of teens have faced negative experiences in sport due to symptoms, and for Black teens, this is even more acute, with 55% reporting they avoid certain movements due to menstrual symptoms (PERIOD., 2025).

• Offer Training Modifications: Don’t wait for an athlete to ask to stop. Offer supportive options such as specialized recovery-focused sets or extra hydration that recognize her energy levels may shift while keeping her involved in the practice (Tucker Center, 2024).
• Commitment Over Energy: This approach reinforces that a girl’s commitment is valued even when her energy levels fluctuate. One athlete explained, “I don’t want to sit out. I just want you to understand that my energy is lower today because of it... I still want to participate” (Rally Report, 2024).

The Result: Stronger Teams and Healthier Athletes

Creating an inclusive environment isn't just about comfort; it's about health and retention. Currently, 36% of some athlete populations ignore missed periods, which can lead to long-term bone health injuries and disorders like RED-S (Kyniska Advocacy, 2023).

When you move past the taboo, you build a healthy coach-athlete relationship rooted in trust and honesty. 87% of athletes believe discussing menstruation with coaches can be beneficial (Goorevich & Zipp, 2024). By creating a period-friendly environment, you are helping every girl stay active, resilient, and confident through her teenage years and beyond.

References

Canadian Women & Sport. (2022). The Rally Report: A Call for Better, Safer Sport for Girls. Canadian Women & Sport.

Canadian Women & Sport. (2024). Rally Report 2024: A Call to Reimagine Sport so All Girls Can Play. Canadian Women & Sport.

Goorevich, A., & Zipp, S. (2024). “They seem to only know about bleeding and cramps”: Menstruation, gendered experiences, and coach–athlete relationships. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 32, S1–S10.

Kyniska Advocacy. (2023). The Female Athlete Health Report. Kyniska Advocacy.

Nike. (2020). Coaching Girls Guide: How to Get (and Keep) Girls Playing. Nike.

PERIOD. (2025). 2025 State of the Period Report. PERIOD.

Schneider, J., et al. (2023). Body confident coaching: A pilot randomized controlled trial evaluating the acceptability of a web-based body image intervention for coaches of adolescent girls. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.

Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. (2024). Coaching HER: Menstrual health modules key takeaways. University of Minnesota.

UNESCO. (2024). Sport and Gender Equality Game Plan: Guidelines for gender-transformative sport policies and programmes. UNESCO.

Women in Sport. (2022). Reframing sport for teenage girls: Tackling teenage disengagement. Women in Sport

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