Aston Villa Women’s team have raised concerns about wearing the club’s kit ahead of their Women’s Super League season opener against Manchester United due to the fact that it retains moisture when playing, leaving it wet and stuck to the skin.
On the opening day of the English Premier League season, Aston Villa’s Men’s side were beaten fairly comprehensively at St. James’ Park, losing to Newcastle United 5-1. Naturally, the Villa fans were disappointed, but many were left more concerned about the state of the kits, which had seemingly become saturated with water mere minutes into the game.
Gripping the skin and heavy to the touch, the players complained to the club, claiming that the weight of the kits became heavier as they sweat throughout the match, making them uncomfortable and almost impossible to play in.
And now, as the WSL is set to launch for the upcoming 2023/24 season on Sunday 1 October, members of Aston Villa’s Women’s team have voiced their concerns about wearing the notorious kits… for obvious reasons.
“They want to be the best athletes they can be and just focus on football, football commentator Jacqui Oatley told MailSport. “Instead, they’ve got this issue in the back of their minds where they’re thinking ‘I don’t want to get too hot too quickly and how is this going to look?'”
It’s understood that Aston Villa are working closely with Castore, the kit’s British manufacturer, to address the problem and find a solution ahead of Sunday’s game, which is set to be televised live on BBC Two.
“You can imagine, 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, both from a performance aspect as it is with the men but also from an aesthetic aspect,” Oatley told BBC.
“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.”
Aston Villa signed a multi-year deal with kit supplier Castore in 2022.