After England’s elimination in the semi-finals at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – and with a World Cup on the horizon – Eleanor Cardwell had reached a tipping point.
“I went to get all my sports bras ready for the England camp and they were all trashed,” she says. “I could just stretch them. They were terrible. I remember the first week I had to wear them because I had no choice. I remember holding my chest down with my arms crossed and warming up, jogging and doing those facial expressions. I suffered a lot. I had flashbacks of what it was like for me in school, when you have to run for a bus in a normal bra.
Cardwell reported the issue to England Netball, but the bras provided by the organization did not provide the support she needed. So she decided to take matters into her own hands: she started reviewing sports bras on her social media.
@eleanor_cardwell11 So this is my first review and for starters I’m trying out the panache wireless sports bra (£40) that many of you have recommended to me. This bra is super comfortable when I tried it on, it had a more structured cup so adjust because the longer you wear the cup the better 👌 When working out in the bra I loved the coverage you have, there is no cleavage and I could feel the bra coming up to my armpits. I wasn’t used to this, but I don’t think it will take long before I get adjusted and don’t feel the bra near my armpits. As for the support when moving around to do netball moves, I couldn’t feel an excessive amount of bouncing as I said it’s comfortable and I couldn’t feel it on my body. Looking back at the images you can see some movement, but I think this is due to it having less of the compressive component to the bra and a more structured fit. Personally I prefer to have a bit of compression so everything is closer to the body, but I will definitely wear this bra to England camp next week, knowing that I will have a lot more support than my old bras 🙄 I think there will always be movement, otherwise you will be in a straitjacket and unable to breathe. 🤷🏼♀️Let me know if you want or need more information. I hope I’ll help a few of you busty ladies find the best sports bra for you and everyone else without having to buy every option out there. ❤ FINALLY, if you feel comfortable and supported enough in your sports bra, you’ll have the confidence to go play netball or hit the gym 💗…most of us busty girls have been through this journey and it can be tedious, I got you girls. 🥰#gifted #sportsbraproblems #sportsbra #sportsbrareview #panache ♬ original sound – Eleanor Jane Cardwel
“I messaged as many businesses as possible telling them what I was doing and why I was doing it – to help any women who have a similar problem to mine and can’t find a sports bra that fits them,” says Cardwell, who recently helped the Adelaide Thunderbirds win their first Super Netball title in Australia. “Some busty women wear five sports bras and keep them low.”
Women with larger breasts face acute challenges in exercise and sports. The breasts can move up to 14 cm during exercise. Studies have shown that even women with an A cup will experience up to 4cm of movement, which can impact running mechanics which have been linked to an increased risk of injury. For women with a D cup or larger, this can be problematic: research has shown that women in this group exercise 37% less because of their breasts.
“It was hard to find a bra that would fit well”
As someone who was extremely body conscious as a teenager and hated having to change for PE class, Cardwell was hesitant to wear a sports bra on camera for his DIY music videos.
“At school, I would be so embarrassed in front of everyone to know that I have to wear a sports bra, when everyone else puts on a t-shirt and is ready to go,” she says. “I remember being very shy in the dressing room and feeling uncomfortable and probably having a Primark bra that didn’t fit properly.”
But in her videos, Cardwell is unapologetically herself. She asks herself a number of key questions when trying on a sports bra. How breathable is the fabric? Does the fit provide adequate support? How much does it cost?
“Growing up, it was so hard to find a good sports bra, especially one that was pretty cheap because obviously I didn’t have my own money,” Cardwell says. “My mum and dad used to take me around the country playing netball, taking me to practice and I would say we didn’t have a lot of money, so it was harder to find a cheap enough sports bra that would be OK to wear.”
The results of his videos, viewed thousands of times on social networks, have had considerable results. This year, after England beat Jamaica in their Quad Series at the Copper Box, Cardwell spotted a fan in the crowd. “This woman literally lifted her top and showed off the sports bra she was wearing,” she smiled.
Ahead of their World Cup in South Africa, which kicks off in Cape Town on Friday, the England squad have been fitted with sports bras by breast health experts at the University of Portsmouth. Cardwell’s interest in breast health piqued last year when, despite spending most of her athletic life in and out of sports bras, she discovered she was wearing the wrong size. She now wears a 34GG, but wore a 36E.
If the girls don’t like the dresses, they might not play
Cardwell’s experience is indicative of the huge lack of knowledge about breast health in sport. The importance of wearing the right sports bra is one of the many topics explored in The Female Body Bible, the first book published this year by The Well HQ. The sports science platform, which focuses on women’s health, has worked with England Netball on its new ‘NETBALLHer’ campaign, which aims to better educate women and girls at all levels of sport about their bodies and encourage them to stay in netball.
Kit choice has been identified as one of the reasons for declining participation, particularly in sports perceived as overtly female. A recently published study by British hockey player Tess Howard found that 70% of girls drop out of school sports due to clothing and body image issues.
Hockey’s world governing body has since allowed women to wear shorts in competition rather than the traditional skort, and netball has taken tentative first steps to make its uniform more inclusive.
“In Adelaide this year in pre-season we could wear leggings, shorts or a tank top. You could choose what you wanted to wear,” says Cardwell, who offers a diplomatic response on whether netball should relax its own rules around its distinctive attire.
“At the end of the day, if everyone is comfortable wearing a dress on a netball team, that’s what they want to wear, but it’s more about how comfortable you feel performing,” she says. “It is also [about] trying not to discourage young girls and boys from practicing this sport. If they don’t like the dresses and they see everyone wearing a dress, they may not want to participate.
Yet winning is often cited as a key factor in boosting participation. Regular weekly attendance rose by 130,000 in England following the Commonwealth side’s historic triumph in 2018 and Cardwell hopes they can reach similar heights in Cape Town, where they will look to improve on the bronze they won at the 2019 World Cup in Liverpool.
“Obviously we want to win gold – that’s always everyone’s goal – but we absolutely want to win a medal,” she said. “I’m really excited about what this team can do.”
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