For many of us, playing sport while on our period sounds like fresh hell. But for England Lioness and Chelsea full-back Niamh Charles, it can be “empowering”.
As part of Here We Flo and Chelsea Women FC's ‘We Don’t Bleed Blue. We Bleed. Period.’, campaign – shared exclusively with GLAMOUR – Niamh opened up about starting her period on the day of England's historic Euro final against Spain in July earlier this year. “I came on my period the day of the Euro final that morning,” she says. “Day one [of her period] was actually the Euro final, so it was an unbelievable day.”
And if you avidly followed the Euros, we have good news: the Women's Super League [WSL] starts again tonight with Manchester City Women taking on Chelsea Women at Stamford Bridge. The twist? Chelsea WFC will take to the pitch wearing shorts deliberately marked with period blood stains to tackle the stigma around periods in sport.
While times have certainly changed, a 2025 survey conducted by Here We Flo found that 82% of female respondents have hidden a tampon or pad up their sleeve, 80% say they’d feel ashamed if they leaked in public, and 90% don’t believe periods are shown realistically in ads or entertainment.
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On the day of the European final, the Lionesses beat Spain 3-1 on penalties, with Niamh Charles coming off the bench to replace Lucy Bronze and scoring England's third penalty. She joined Chelsea Women FC in 2020, going on to help the club win its first domestic treble – the WSL title, the FA Cup, and the League Cup – in her first season.
Niamh's approach to periods is partly informed by Chelsea Women FC's female health lead, Dr Georgie Bruinvels, who she texts for advice about her menstrual cycle. “When I'm on my period, I still have maybe that little instinct of like, 'Oh, I'm on my period, it's not a good thing,'” Niamh explains. "But actually, then falling back on all the tools that I have […] Georgie really helps us not only when we're on our period, but during it, so that you can always text and say, 'I'm feeling this, what do you think?'
“And I think when I am on my period now, it's not a bad thing. It's an empowering thing for sure.”
This attitude extends to the rest of the Chelsea Women's team, as Niamh explains, “I'm not ashamed as a female to say, 'Has anyone got a tampon?' It literally happened to me the other day in the changing room just before one of our preseason games. I came on my period, and I just texted in the group chat, ‘Has anyone got a tampon?’ And girls came rushing to me, and it's just something that's just so normal, and we all have them, and you just sort of help each other out.”
The ‘We Don’t Bleed Blue. We Bleed. Period.’ campaign calls out how adverts often show periods on TV as blue liquid rather than blood. Susan Allen-Augustin, Co-Founder of Here We Flo, says, “Women’s football is one of the most powerful platforms for change, and with Chelsea FC Women’s, we’re using that spotlight to shatter period stigma.
“These players are role models on and off the pitch, showing the world that strength and success don’t pause for our cycles. Together, we’re proving that when we talk openly about periods, we empower everyone to play, thrive, and win without shame – blood, sweat and all.”
Speaking about the importance of realistic advertising, Niamh said, “I think being in a football environment when there's lots of young girls that come to watch us, hopefully if they can see the advertising and they know that there's somewhere they can reach out and feel more educated in a way that I didn't […] hopefully that can be really, really powerful.”
Asked why she's supporting this partnership with Here We Flo, Niamh said, “I've just actually received a box [of menstrual care products] and I'm really excited to use the tampons,” adding that she supports “the messaging around normalising periods” and the “sustainable aspect” of the brand.
Aki Mandhar, CEO of Chelsea FC Women, says, “At Chelsea, we want to break down barriers and inspire change. We want to reset the narrative about periods, normalise them and in doing so empower and inspire the next generation of young girls, whether they play sport or not. Periods should be a source of strength and confidence for girls, not a hindrance.”
Here We Flo are Chelsea’s new official partner and season-long back of shorts sponsor.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
