Sport Ireland has officially launched its Period Positive Poster Pack.
At Sport Ireland one of our key objectives is to reduce the number of girls dropping out of sport. Through consultation with teenage girls and the Her Moves campaign, menstruation has been identified as a key challenge of female puberty and can be a barrier to participation in sport.
The seven posters, developed in collaboration with teenage girls, aim to support and educate everyone around the menstrual cycle and sport.
Nora Stapleton, Director of Strategic NGB Programmes with Sport Ireland, said: “It’s important to create the conversation on menstruation in sport. These posters raise awareness and educate athletes, coaches, and parents on supporting teen girls around their menstrual cycle and sport. Through these, and other resources on the hermoves.ie hub, we aim to enhance the environment in which the girls are training and retain more girls in sport and physical activity. That’s something we can all get behind.”
Sport Ireland is helping to make sure the posters are being put up in places where teenage girls participate in sport and physical activity – everywhere from clubs to schools to community centres to leisure centres.
Over the past four years, Sport Ireland has been focusing on implementing objectives and actions from its Policy on Women in Sport.
Student Michaela Gillooly, who helped create the posters, said: “I think the Her Moves campaign is doing incredible work for girls in sport right now, their period resources on their hub are easily accessible and comforting for those who may not be able to start the conversation at home.
“The posters are something I’m even constantly referring to when I’m coaching my underage team or even for myself.
“I’m so glad to see there is a safe site for girls where they can learn about their busy body without that feeling of embarrassment,” added Michaela, who is a student of Glenamaddy Community School in Galway and recently won the All-Ireland STEM Outreach award at SciFest.
Period Positive Posters
Seven educational posters have been developed to address the challenges of the menstrual cycle in sport. Five are for girls, encouraging cycle tracking and movement solutions, while two are for adults, providing tips on creating period-positive environments.
You can download the posters for your school, club or centre for free.
Bethany Carson, Women in Sport Manager, Sport Ireland, said: “Periods shouldn’t be a barrier to participating in sport. These posters help educate and provide solutions to athletes, coaches, parents and teachers regarding menstruation and sport.
“I’d encourage all clubs and schools to display the ‘Checklist’ poster, it can help create period positive environments. We’ve had brilliant engagement from the NGBs and LSPs, which shows in the distribution numbers.”
