Photo: Andrew Skinner / www.photosport.nz
Waikato's Farah Palmer Cup team will no longer wear white shorts.
The team will make a permanent switch to black shorts, to ensure players are comfortable during games.
"We are committed to creating an environment where all our players feel comfortable and supported, both on and off the field," said Andrew Strawbridge, Director of Rugby.
"We have listened to the concerns of our players, and we believe that changing the colour of our shorts is an important step to help alleviate these players anxieties while providing players with a greater sense of security and confidence during games."
Waikato Rugby FPC Captain, Kennedy Simon, praised the organisation for actioning this initiative.
"It makes me proud to hear that Waikato Rugby have listen to the feedback from the players and actioned our concerns. We hope that this small change will have a massive impact on our players' experience and inspire us to focus more on the games without distractions."
The Farah Palmer Cup side will wear the new black shorts when the team takes to the field later this year.
The move follows that of the Ireland women's rugby team, who will make a permanent swap from their traditional white shorts to navy shorts after players voiced concerns about period anxieties.
The navy shorts will be worn for the first time by the team when they take on Wales in their women's Six Nations opener on March 25.
Ireland international Enya Breen said the switch will help women at all levels of rugby feel "more comfortable on the field".
"The top way to ensure we perform to our best on the field is by removing any unnecessary distractions," Breen said.
"Wearing navy shorts instead of white is such a small thing, but for us it's a big step."
Last year, English women's football side West Bromwich Albion switched their home-kit white shorts to navy ones due to concerns about players' comfort on their periods.
The issue of women athletes wearing white clothing was also brought up at last year's Wimbledon tennis championships when female players spoke about the anxiety of being forced to wear white.
