Aston Villa Women's team is bracing for discomfort this Sunday when they face Manchester United in their Women's Super League opener due to the club's new "clingy" shirts.
According to football commentator Jacqui Oatley, "This is going to be a big problem."
Next: Our 2023/24 opener. 💭 #BarclaysWSL
— Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial) September 28, 2023
Villa's male players have informed the club that the shirts are retaining sweat, making them uncomfortable to play in and also noticeably change colour in games.
Oatley also said the women's team "absolutely hated" playing in the kit during a pre-season friendly with Chelsea and several female players have voiced their concerns ahead of Sunday's match.
Villa reportedly conveyed concerns about the new kits to Castore before the season began. Aston Villa teamed up with Castore in a multi-year partnership announced in May 2022, but it has been revealed that the club will most likely terminate the contract with the manufacturer earlier than agreed upon.
Exclusive: Aston Villa & kit manufacturer Castore are expected to agree to an early termination of their contract amid the furore over the club’s ‘wet-look’ shirts that have prompted complaints from men’s and women’s players
✍️ @Matt_Law_DT & @JPercyTelegraph#TelegraphFootball— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) September 28, 2023
Speaking to BBC Sport, Oatley emphasized the gravity of the situation, especially for the women's squad. She pointed out that they are not only facing performance issues due to the clingy nature of the shirts but are also dealing with aesthetic worries.
"They've got four TV games coming up," said Oatley. "Normally they'd absolutely relish those games and look forward to them. But they're actually dreading it because they're really conscious about how they're going to look in this wet, clingy kit - for obvious reasons."
Oatley also said the women's team "absolutely hated" playing in the kit during a pre-season friendly with Chelsea.
"As a female athlete, you have plenty enough to think about just being the best you can be on the football field without thinking about getting sweaty and your kit clinging to you," Oatley said.
"And, as we know, women are different specimens when it comes to our bodies, and it can really affect us and how we perform if we're constantly thinking about how we look, or a top might be clinging to our breasts and also our body shapes."
"These are genuine issues for women which you would have thought somebody would have thought through before they released this kit."
