Aviva Stadium to provide free period products in bathrooms and changing rooms
Ellen O'Donoghue
Aviva Ireland has partnered with period care company Riley to provide free period products in female and accessible bathrooms, as well as player and referee changing rooms at the Aviva Stadium.
More than four in five, or 82 per cent, of people in Ireland who menstruate have struggled to find period products at a public venue when they needed them, according to new research.
The Aviva research, conducted among 500 people who menstruate nationwide, examined the impact that limited access to period products and ongoing stigma can have on participation in sport, live events, and social activities.
The initiative between Aviva and Riley at the Aviva Stadium aims to remove a practical barrier by "ensuring essential period products are available in key locations."
Period care stations are to be installed in female and accessible bathrooms as well as in player and referee dressing rooms.
Over one million people attended events at the Aviva Stadium in 2025.
The initiative is to provide access to essential products across almost 100 bathrooms and sporting facilities.
"It sets a strong benchmark for delivering inclusive period care at scale in sporting and entertainment venues in Ireland," an Aviva statement said.
The announcement comes as the Aviva Stadium prepares to host the Ireland vs Scotland Women's Six Nations match on Sunday, the first standalone Women's Six Nations fixture to be played at the venue.
The game is expected to be the highest-attended women's international rugby match held at the Aviva Stadium, with the only previous fixture taking place in 2014 as part of a double header with the men's team.
"As interest in women's sport continues to grow, the initiative reflects Aviva and Riley’s commitment to ensuring that live sporting environments evolve to meet the needs of everyone attending, playing and officiating," the Aviva statement said.
The Aviva findings highlighted how periods continue to disrupt participation in everyday activities, particularly in public and sporting settings.
More than eight in ten respondents (82 per cent) said they had adjusted or avoided exercise because their period arrived unexpectedly or they felt unprepared.
Almost two thirds (62 per cent) reported leaving a sports event, concert or social activity early due to difficulty accessing products.
Only 38 per cent of respondents said they believe public venues currently do enough to support the needs of people who menstruate.
Meanwhile, 85 per cent agreed that period stigma affects their confidence to take part in sport, and 86 per cent said free, accessible period products at public venues would improve their overall experience.
Sponsorship manager at Aviva Ireland, Caroline Cummins, said that anyone who has ever been caught out at an event knows how stressful it can be to realise there is no access to period products when you need them.
"Too often, this means people can’t enjoy sport, concerts or live events, or feel forced to leave early.
"As long-standing supporters of women’s football and rugby, we want to play our part to ensure Aviva Stadium is a place where inclusion is backed up by practical action.
"By partnering with Riley, we’re helping to normalise period care in public spaces and ensure that inclusion is visible, practical and long-lasting," she said.
Riley's co-founder, Fiona Parfrey, said that access to period products should not depend on where you are or what you are doing.
"Period care is a basic part of inclusion, yet too often it’s overlooked in public spaces.
"Our partnership with Aviva has already made a real impact by showing what’s possible when organisations take meaningful action. By bringing free, sustainable period products to Aviva Stadium, we’re helping make thoughtful, inclusive public venues the standard — not the exception."
"Together, we can change the game and ensure that sport and live events are places where everyone is supported, considered and valued.”
For more information, visit aviva.ie/riley.
