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In 2024, Limitless partnered with The Well HQ, the UK’s leading female health experts, to ensure we can offer our schools the latest developments for keeping girls active and healthy. The Well HQ have put together a girls’ back-to-school article, to support them as the new school year begins:
For a teenage girl, the right PE kit can be the difference between loving sport or leaving it behind.
In a survey conducted by Limitless and The Well HQ in 2025, concerns around kit and sport when on their period, body image and school pressures were the top 3 barriers to participation in sport cited by girls. And they are dropping out of sport at a faster rate than boys of the same age, with 1 million girls who once described themselves as sporty dropping out of sport after puberty (Women in Sport, 2022).
So, as you begin the new school year, let’s build a kit that empowers girls. Here are the essentials that will help them feel comfortable and confident in sports - and, hopefully, build a life-long passion for being active.
As girls develop through puberty, their need for a bra that suits their activity and comfort level becomes much more important.
This is a piece of kit that’s often overlooked in its importance, and girls are mostly wearing poorly fitting bras that feel uncomfortable and dig in or rub their skin. Once these girls are given education in breast health and the importance of a well-fitting bra, they feel better, less embarrassed and make good choices about the type of bra they wear, which can encourage more participation in sport.
Top Tip: girls told the Limitless/The Well HQ survey that the colour of the sports bra was really important: it must not be seen under their school shirts. PEBE designed their sports bras in an “ice blue” colourway deliberately to go under white shirts discreetly and are easily adjustable for all day wear.
We know that girls appreciate having a choice of the type of bottoms they can wear, with those who identify as being “sporty” preferring skorts (42% of respondents) and those who identify as “non-sporty” preferring trackpants (44% of respondents).
This aligns with “body image concerns” being a major barrier to girls participating in sport at school, with “non-sporty” girls being more concerned with body image than those who identify as being sporty. Doing sport and exercise helps girls to view their bodies by what they can do rather than aiming to match an aesthetic ideal.
Top Tip: having a flexible sports uniform policy means that everyone (boys and girls) is able to choose what best suits them. This way, they can enjoy sport without worrying about how they look, feel or being distracted by discomfort.
Our survey shows that 52% of girls don’t like playing sports on their period, with this number being higher for those who don’t identify as being sporty.
Girls lack the experience to properly manage their periods - physically and emotionally. Additionally, at this stage, they usually have more irregular periods, which adds another layer to an already difficult situation.
Dark shorts, that disguise possible leaks, and leak-proof underwear, can be good solutions to support girls who worry about their periods when playing sports.
Top Tip: NIXI body, WUKA, Modi Bodi and other brands make period pants that can be worn comfortably all day without worrying about leaking and needing to change.
Teenage girls tend to have more unpredictable periods. This can make it harder to know when their periods will start - and suddenly starting your period in the middle of class or while away at a tournament can create huge amounts of anxiety.
To combat this, encourage girls to have a “caught short kit” in their school bag and make it a required item on a kitlist for any away matches.
The kit, contained in a small waterproof bag, should have their preferred period protection in a number of different options (tampons, menstrual pads and/or period pants, for example) as well as a bag for easy disposal (Fab Little Bag is a great option). They might also want to include some solutions for period pain, like medications they are used to or stick-on heat patches.
Top Tip: for girls with neurodiversity, advanced preparation is really important. Neurodiversity makes people experience time differently, so they may struggle with self-care because it requires them to anticipate their needs before they happen. Having a caught short kit as part of the kit list for school and sports makes it something that all people can tick off.
Since beginning our research into the decline in participation with Youth Sport Trust in 2021, Limitless knows that it’s important to listen to the girls at our schools and ensure that their sportswear is comfortable and provides choice, allowing them to focus on their sport, not on what they are wearing. Limitless offers products aimed at addressing the barriers to participation for girls at school. Our Trusted Partners include some of the best female sportswear products available and parents can purchase these easily in their online shop along with their school PE kit: www.schoolblazer.com.
Please get in touch to discuss a more proven, robust and forward-thinking way of providing school uniform and sportswear to your school.
