Puberty & Girls in Sport | What Every Coach and Parent Needs to Know | Champion Her Game

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Coaches Corner — Puberty & Girls in Sport

She hasn't lost her
love of football.
Her body is doing
something enormous.

There's a difference. Understanding how a girl is feeling means you not only support her — it enables her to stay in the game whilst she's navigating this part of her development.

What's actually happening

It's not attitude.
It's biology.

Somewhere between ages 10 and 14 — sometimes earlier — a girl's body starts changing in ways she has no control over. What you're seeing on the pitch isn't disengagement. It's a girl trying to perform while her body is navigating one of the most demanding transitions it will ever go through.

What she may be dealing with every session:

  • Sudden bloating and stomach cramps that make running feel impossible
  • A tender chest that makes contact sports painful and kit uncomfortable
  • Fatigue that has nothing to do with fitness or effort
  • Heightened sensitivity to feedback — a comment that would have bounced off her six months ago lands very differently now
  • Period anxiety — the fear of leaking, of being seen, of not having what she needs

The girl who used to sprint to training is the same girl. Her body just isn't the same body yet.

40%
of girls drop out of sport by age 14
43%
cite confidence or body image as a factor
38%
say period anxiety has stopped them playing
If you're her coach

Small changes.
Significant difference.

You don't need to become an expert in puberty. You just need to understand enough to not make it harder for her.

If she's low energy today:

  • Don't call it out publicly. Her body may be exhausted in ways you can't see. A comment in front of teammates — even a gentle one — can be the thing that tips her toward not coming back.
  • A quiet word works. Not on the pitch. Not in front of anyone. Just — "you alright today?" — and mean it.

If she doesn't want to play today:

Give her a role. Not the bench — a role.

🏃
Warm Up Lead
She organises and runs the warm up for the squad
📋
Drill Assistant
She helps set up and manage the session drills
⭐
Assistant Coach
She's your eyes on the pitch for the session

She stays involved. She stays in the habit. She stays part of the squad. And next week — she comes back.

That's the goal. Keep her coming back.

Your first aid bag:

  • Keep tampons and sanitary towels in your first aid bag. Make sure the girls know they're there. Mention it once — no fuss, no big deal. A girl who knows she's covered feels safe. A girl who doesn't feel she can ask feels exposed.

Her feedback sensitivity:

  • Keep feedback private, specific and effort-focused during this phase. One-to-one after training. Lead with what she did well. One thing to work on. Close positive. This isn't soft — it's effective.
If you're her parent

The conversation she needs you
to make easy.

She may not bring this up herself. That doesn't mean she doesn't need your support — it means she doesn't know how to ask for it yet.

The most important thing in her kit bag isn't her football boots anymore.

  • Track her cycle if you can. When you can see it coming you can get ahead of it — anticipate a reluctance to play and manage it before it becomes withdrawal from the sport entirely.
  • Cycling shorts. Buy them together. Explain why. Worn underneath her football shorts they add a layer of protection that can completely change her confidence. This one thing alone keeps girls playing.
  • Sports bra. She may not know how to ask. Make it easy. Take her shopping or order together online — no big deal, just a practical conversation.
  • Make sure her kit bag has what she needs. Sanitary products as standard — not as an afterthought.
  • Talk to her coach — or offer to. She shouldn't have to manage both sides of this alone. A quick word with the coach makes a bigger difference than you might think.

She may not want to talk about it at first. Have the conversation anyway — gently, practically, without making it a bigger deal than it needs to be. These are things she genuinely needs support with and you're the best person to give it.

The kit

This is why
our kit is black.

Not a design choice. A deliberate decision about what it feels like to pull on kit when your body is changing and you're not sure you want anyone to look at you.

A girl aged 7 is happy in white shorts. A girl aged 12 is not the same girl. Factoring this into your kit choices — whatever kit you use — will be a massive silent support for every girl in your squad.

  • Black shorts from age 11-12. Non-negotiable. White shorts create anxiety the moment periods begin and bodies change. Remove the anxiety before it starts.
  • Cycling shorts underneath. The single biggest confidence changer for girls this age. An extra layer of protection that lets her focus on football instead of everything else.
  • Dark training tops. No see-through in the rain. No visible bra straps. No reason to feel exposed.
  • Sports bra. A tender chest makes physical sport painful in the wrong kit. This isn't optional — it's practical.
  • Sanitary products in the kit bag. Her kit bag has everything else she needs. This should be in there too.

Looking for kit built with this in mind?

Girls training tops → Team kit →

She will come through this.
Keep her in the game.

With the right support around her — a coach who gets it and a parent who's made it easy to talk — she'll come through it still playing. That's all that matters.

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