Employees who helped bring Stayfree to consumers shared the pitch with members of South Africa’s national women’s football team in a celebration of contribution, confidence and progress.
The people behind Stayfree took centre stage at Kenvue’s East London facility as employees welcomed Banyana Banyana for a celebration that brought the partnership directly to those who helped make Stayfree products.
At the heart of the event was a friendly football match between employees and members of South Africa’s national women’s football team, creating an opportunity for the two teams to connect through the shared energy of the game. The programme also gave employees an opportunity to engage with the players and the wider partnership, while recognising the skill, care and contribution that sat behind the Stayfree brand.
Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane, Antonia Maponya and Gabriela Salgado joined head coach Dr Desiree Ellis and SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao at the celebration.
Activities had included football drills with learners from Hope Schools and opportunities for employees to engage directly with the players.
“This was about bringing together the people behind Stayfree and the Banyana Banyana partnership in a way that celebrated both contribution and shared purpose. We wanted this partnership to go beyond visibility and create meaningful connections that championed confidence and opportunity for women and girls,” said Astrid Stealey, Kenvue’s Area Managing Director South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The East London gathering marked the latest expression of a partnership that began in June 2026, when the South African Football Association announced Stayfree as the Official Sanitary Pad Sponsor of Banyana Banyana. Introduced under the #KeepingThemLockedIn platform, the partnership set out to bring greater attention to menstrual confidence and the role it could play in helping women and girls focus on their performance and participation in sport.
Since its launch, the partnership had moved from announcement to action through campaign activity, tournament support and Goals 4 Pads. Through the initiative, every goal scored by Banyana Banyana unlocked 1,000 packs of sanitary pads for nominated schools, football academies, community organisations and programmes supporting women and girls across South Africa. In this way, moments of achievement on the pitch generated practical support beyond it.
Hope Schools in KuGompo City had received a donation of Stayfree sanitary pads through the Goals 4 Pads initiative.
The East London event extended that progression by bringing another important group into the experience: the employees whose everyday work helped bring Stayfree to consumers. Rather than seeing the partnership only through external campaign activity, employees had an opportunity to take part in it first-hand, sharing the pitch and the occasion with the national team.
“Anything that brought change to the communities, I voted for it and I was really grateful that this initiative was more specifically aimed at communities that were disadvantaged, at kids that were disadvantaged,” said Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane.
For Stayfree, the partnership was rooted in the belief that sport could be a platform for more than performance alone. It could open important conversations, build confidence and help address menstrual-health and access barriers that could prevent women and girls from participating fully in the activities they valued.
By bringing Banyana Banyana together with the people behind Stayfree, the East London celebration connected a national sporting platform with the employees who contributed to the brand every day. It also reinforced the wider ambition behind the partnership, to champion confidence, participation and progress, and to help more women and girls pursue their potential on the pitch and beyond it.
