Villa players wore the Castore home shirt in Sunday’s WSL opener against Manchester United
Aston Villa captain Rachel Corsie said players chose to wear the club’s much-criticised shirt in their WSL season opener on Sunday.
Villa’s male players have said the shirts are uncomfortable because they retain too much sweat.
The new home claret and blue shirts are the worst affected, noticeably changing colour in games.
“It’s first game of the season so you want to be in your home kit,” Corsie told BBC Sport.
In the build-up to the match, several players were said to be “dreading” wearing the “clingy” shirt..
But during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester United, the shirts did not appear to be causing much of a problem and players did not express concerns at full-time.
Corsie said there had been “a lot of talk this week” about the shirts and the club had been “really supportive”.
BBC Sport understands Villa had hoped to resolve the issue by this weekend but that it has not been possible and talks with kit manufacturer Castore remain at a delicate stage.
The Telegraph reported Villa and Castore are discussing an early termination of their multi-year contract, although BBC Sport understands players will remain in a Castore kit for the rest of the season, with the club seeking to change the material, not the shirt design.
The BBC has contacted Castore for comment.
Villa manager Carla Ward said before her side’s Women’s Super League game against Manchester United on Sunday, that she has “tried to ignore” the noise around the issues with the kit and that the club have been “excellent” in dealing with the situation.
Corsie said: “Obviously, there has been a lot of talk about the shirts this week but when you get here and it’s the start of the season everyone is buzzing that it’s under way now.
“It is going to be the best season in the WSL I believe and we want to make sure we do a really good job, so things like the shirts… Once you’re in the game and you’re competing, you just do what you can as well as you can.”
Former England defender Anita Asante said kit should be “the last thing players have to think about”.
“There’s a different implication for women with aesthetics and how they feel. In terms of their bodies and sexism and misogyny, and all these things,” Asante told BBC World Service’s Sportsworld show.
“They do not want to be exposed to a scenario that will make them feel uncomfortable and unable to focus on the game in hand and be pre-occupied on other issues related to kit.
“It should be the last thing players should have to think about.”
‘It’s a bit embarrassing’
Fans attending Villa’s opening match of the season said it is “a bit embarrassing” that these issues were surrounding the team before the season even began.
“Playing in Europe [the men’s team] this season as well. I don’t understand it and it looks a bit cheap,” Villa fan Jordan Price told BBC Newsbeat outside Villa Park.
She says she is in favour of “women-specific kits”, made with materials that are suited for the female body rather than a kit which is a version of the men’s.
“We have women-specific boots, so they should definitely be dealing with the kits. It’s a different fit for a woman.”
Fellow fan Henry Wilkinson agreed with the idea and said the current issue is not good for the club’s reputation.
