Communicating menstrual health in youth sport: insights from Swedish floorball coaches

Purpose: Floorball, one of the most popular indoor team sports in Sweden, was the focus of this study, which aimed to explore floorball coaches' experiences of barriers to and opportunities for communicating about menstrual health with female adolescent athletes. Methodology: An exploratory qualitative study design based on interviews with eighteen floorball coaches coaching girls aged 10-18 years of age was conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Participants were nine male and nine female coaches aged 31-69 years with experience coaching floorball ranging from 1 to 20 years. Findings: Coaches experienced inter-linked communicative, educational, and supportive barriers when addressing menstrual health. Many wished to expand their knowledge about menstruation, particularly male coaches who were considered to need greater understanding of the menstrual cycle. Menstruation was generally perceived as a challenging topic for communication due to persistent stigma. Coaches emphasized that while increased communication could help reduce stigma and normalize the subject, discussions about menstruation were still considered sensitive. There was a clear call for organisational support to strengthen education and provide structured guidance for addressing menstrual health. Future research should explore strategies to overcome communicative barriers and how menstrual health education can effectively be implemented in sports.