Manchester City has launched Her City, a dedicated online platform focused on female athlete health education and support, marking what the club describes as the first initiative of its kind in the Women’s Super League.

The platform has been developed for Manchester City’s Women’s First Team players, coaches, support staff, academy players and parents. It brings together information covering menstrual health, pelvic health, breast health and nutrition, with resources designed around the different needs of those groups.

The initiative is the result of a two-year process led by Emma Deakin, Director of Performance Services, Rosie Anderson, Physical Performance Scientist, and Sarah Malone, PhD student and First Team Nutritionist.

Turning research into practical support

Her City emerged from academic research conducted around menstrual, pelvic and breast health, as well as nutrition.

The team identified an opportunity to translate that research into a practical online resource that could be accessed by players and those supporting them.

The platform provides peer-reviewed information that has been critically analysed by experts. Manchester City says the content will continue to be reviewed and updated as further research and discoveries emerge.

Rather than presenting the information as a single general resource, Her City has been structured around different audiences and individual needs.

Players, coaches, support staff and parents can access resources relevant to their roles, with materials including visual explainers, posters, audio resources and downloadable educational content.

Addressing misinformation

Another important element of Her City is its focus on myth-busting and critical analysis.

Female athletes are increasingly exposed to health and nutrition information through social media, where evidence-based advice can sit alongside misinformation and unverified claims.

The platform is designed to help users assess what they encounter online and develop the knowledge needed to distinguish reliable information from potentially misleading content.

Manchester City has also included a confidential contact form through which users can raise concerns or ask questions directly with experts at the club.

Supporting athletes beyond the pitch

The platform also extends beyond the professional first team.

Parents of academy players can access Her City to better understand issues that may affect young athletes during important stages of their development.

This is particularly relevant as female athletes progress through adolescence and into professional sport, when education around nutrition, menstrual health, pelvic health and broader wellbeing can form an important part of their development.

By including parents and academy players, Manchester City’s initiative takes a wider approach to athlete education rather than limiting the resource to its senior playing squad.

A broader ambition across City Football Group

Manchester City says the longer-term ambition is for Her City to become available to all women working across City Football Group.

That could extend the platform’s reach beyond the Women’s First Team and academy environment to a wider community of women working across the organisation. 

The initiative also builds on Manchester City’s wider investment in women’s football and female athlete development. The club’s recent work has included research partnerships focused on areas such as female athlete muscle rehabilitation and recovery, alongside commercial partnerships designed specifically around women’s sport.

Setting a wider example for women’s sport

Her City arrives as women’s sport continues to receive greater attention around the need for athlete-specific research and support.

For Manchester City, the platform represents an attempt to make that research more accessible to the people who use it, while creating a central source of information for athletes, families and staff.

Its significance extends beyond the website itself. By bringing research, education, expert access and practical resources together, the initiative highlights how professional sporting organisations can approach female athlete health as an integral part of performance and long-term development.

For a club operating at the highest level of women’s football, Manchester City’s next step will be turning the platform’s research and education into an increasingly integrated part of the athlete development environment.

The longer-term expansion across City Football Group could also give Her City a broader role in supporting women both on and off the pitch.