Columbus Provided Free Period Products at Sports Venues

The city became the first in the U.S. to offer free menstrual products at all major professional sports arenas.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Philanthropy

Columbus Provided Free Period Products at Sports Venues

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Should sports venues in your area provide free period products to all visitors?

Columbus has mandated free access to period products across its major professional sports venues to enhance guest comfort. This policy is part of the broader IgniteHER Columbus initiative, which focuses on increasing female leadership and participation in sports.

Why it matters

City officials established the program to remove social and physical barriers for women and girls in athletics. The effort aims to foster inclusive environments as the city prepares for a series of major women's sports events.

The Grow Her Game program covers registration fees for 400 income-eligible girls between ages 4 and 7. The city supports 82,500 jobs through visitor spending, which totaled $8.2 billion annually.

The players

Aunt Flow

Founded in Columbus in 2016, this company manufactures the menstrual product dispensers used in the new initiative.

Maggie Oliphint

A student-athlete whose testimony before the Columbus City Council in Spring 2026 supported the development of the policy.

The details

Aunt Flow dispensers, designed with display windows for supply monitoring, were installed to ensure faster restocking at facilities like Huntington Park. The expansion follows a successful 2017 pilot program that tested product availability in city recreation centers and homeless shelters.

A pilot program for menstrual products in city facilities began in 2017.
Student-athlete Maggie Oliphint testified before City Council in Spring 2026.
The milestone for period product access in sports venues was reached on September 29, 2026.
Columbus will host NCAA women's championships in 2027.
An NWSL expansion team starts play in Columbus in 2028.

Market Landscape

This policy integrates with the IgniteHER Columbus initiative to position the city as a leading destination for women's athletics. The move leverages existing community partnerships to differentiate the city in the competitive market for hosting large-scale professional sports events.

Attendees at major Columbus sports venues will now have access to free period products in restrooms without needing to carry personal supplies. Additionally, qualifying low-income families with daughters aged 4 to 7 can register for soccer programs with fees fully covered by the city.

The takeaway

Providing essential supplies in high-traffic public spaces serves as a model for how cities can lower participation barriers for women in sports. This approach emphasizes that small logistical changes can meaningfully contribute to broader equity goals in local athletics.