Huddersfield Town Football Club is the first organisation to be awarded Menstruation Friendly Accreditation in recognition of its high standards and proven practices embracing menstrual health in the workplace.
Industry-recognised and awarded by an independent panel of experts, the Menstruation Friendly Accreditation was established by Henpicked.
In order to achieve Menstruation Friendly Accreditation, Huddersfield Town Football Club had to show the effectiveness of its actions in its culture, policies and practices, training, engagement and working environment.
“A fundamental priority of our ‘Terriers Together’ Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy is to ensure we continue to strive to improve female inclusion and representation,” explains Zoe Shackleton, Head of HR and EDI at Huddersfield Town Football Club. “In 2025, no one should be afraid to talk about menstruation and menopause and the work we are doing has really opened up an important dialogue and is helping our female colleagues to get the support they need,” she says.
The first step that HTAFC took was to engage in training for all staff so that male colleagues could also benefit from learning more about what their female colleagues may be experiencing. Armed with this knowledge, many became strong allies and advocates for female inclusion, both at work and with friends and family.
Alongside the training, HTAFC collated comprehensive information, built a resource library for colleagues and wrote a Menstruation Policy.
“Normalising the conversation around periods has had a big impact,” explains Zoe. “It’s very powerful to be able to talk comfortably about periods in a football environment and know that colleagues genuinely understand, are interested and care about the wellbeing of our female team members. It helped by already being menopause friendly as that set our agenda for building on what we already have in place to be welcoming, inclusive and accessible to all,” she continues. “Also, having our Chairman, Kevin Nagle, CEO, Jake Edwards and COO, David Threlfall-Sykes offering their full support has helped us drive things forward and keep the momentum going. There is no doubt that having male allies, particularly in senior positions, who feel able to talk about menstruation, makes other people feel more comfortable to do the same.”
Being the first organisation to achieve Menstruation Friendly Accreditation speaks volumes about Huddersfield Town Football Club’s ethos and what it means to be a good and supportive employer. “We are grateful to the Menstruation Friendly team who guided us through the accreditation process,” says Zoe. “It was less a question of ‘why did we want to work towards Menstruation Friendly Accreditation?’ and more a question of ‘why wouldn’t we?’”
“As with menopause before it, breaking the taboo about menstruation in the workplace is vital to promote gender equity and ensure female colleagues feel supported and valued at work,” says Deborah Garlick, CEO and founder of Henpicked and the Menstruation Friendly Accreditation. “Removing the stigma around menstruation at work gives people a greater opportunity to perform at the best of their ability at work. There’s a huge focus on achieving gender equity at work and that must include being menstruation friendly. Huddersfield Town Football Club has set the bar very high. As a male-dominated organisation operating in a male-dominated sport, the club is to be applauded for its commitment and achievement in gaining the Menstruation Friendly Accreditation. Sending a very clear signal to its colleagues, fan base and wider community, I hope others soon follow this lead.”