Columbus Venues Add Period Care as IgniteHER Launches Girls Programs

Published on September 29, 2026

For Immediate Release
September 29, 2026

Contact:
Debbie Briner, Office of the Mayor, 614-619-0917
Nish Amarnath, Lanecraft Lab, [email protected], 917-683-1953

Mayor Andrew Ginther, Aunt Flow Founder and CEO Claire Coder, and
Columbus Urban League President and CEO Stephanie Hightower to mark Milestone at Huntington Park and spotlight new programs

COLUMBUS, OH - September 29, 2026. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Aunt Flow Founder and CEO Claire Coder and Columbus Urban League President and CEO Stephanie Hightower will gather at Huntington Park today to celebrate Columbus becoming the first U.S. city to provide free period products across all of its major professional sports venues and spotlight the next phase of the city's efforts to expand opportunities for women and girls in sports.

Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers, recently joined Ohio Stadium, ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Nationwide Arena, Historic Crew Stadium and the Schottenstein Center in providing Aunt Flow's organic cotton period products to guests. Columbus-based period product company Aunt Flow has installed 165 free-vend period product dispensers across the city's sports venues since its founding in 2016.

This milestone advances IgniteHER Columbus, a citywide initiative led by Mayor Ginther and First Lady Shannon Ginther in partnership with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and Experience Columbus. IgniteHER aims to increase participation in girls' and women's sports, grow fandom, cultivate future leaders, and attract more investment in women's sports across the region. A key part of making sports more accessible to girls and women involves providing access to menstrual products in restrooms across stadiums and sports venues.

"IgniteHER is about empowering girls and women through sports, while growing the community of women who participate in and support sports here in Columbus," said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. "Providing free period products across all our major sports venues helps remove another barrier girls and women face, while actively supporting them and helping them feel supported, valued and confident.

"Columbus is where I founded Aunt Flow ten years ago, so it means a great deal to see free period products in every one of the city's major sports venues," said Claire Coder, founder and CEO of Aunt Flow. "Aunt Flow's partnership with the Columbus Clippers marks a major milestone for us and we are thrilled to be part of the Huntington Park fan experience. This is what it looks like when a city decides period care is part of the basic fan experience, and we hope others follow Columbus's lead."

"As someone who entered the sports world before Title IX was fully implemented, I know how important it is to create an environment where everyone, including fans, athletes, and coaches, feels welcomed and valued," said Stephanie Hightower, president and CEO of Columbus Urban League. "Once relegated to the back benches, women today are hitting their stride and entering an arena that is far more welcoming. We should celebrate every step toward positive change."

IgniteHER is organized around four pillars:

Fuel HER Game: Keep young girls and women active in sports.
Light Up Columbus: Grow local teams, fans, and women's sports events.
Legacy Rising: Build the next wave of female business and civic leaders.
Spark Next: Boost investment and new ideas in women's sports

Those ambitions are now taking shape through new programs designed to boost sports participation among girls and young women in Central Ohio, while providing them additional opportunities.

The Columbus Crew, alongside Scotts, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, Every Kid Sports and Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, is launching Grow Her Game, a program designed to bring more girls ages 4-7 into soccer by removing financial barriers to play. Registration fees will be fully covered for up to 400 income-eligible girls participating in the Fall Girls Soccer League at three Columbus Recreation and Parks Centers. Participants will also receive access to equipment and a special end-of-season experience at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.

Another program IgniteHER is launching is the inaugural IgniteHER Next Mentorship program, which pairs female student-athletes from universities across Central Ohio with former collegiate athletes. The program aims to foster relationships, open pathways to internships and create professional and community connections for young women.

The September 29 milestone highlights a growing trend where sports venues and public facilities are increasingly prioritizing guest experience, fan comfort, and access to period products as an ADA-compliant restroom essential.

Aunt Flow's period-product dispensers are designed with facilities managers in mind. They feature a built-in display window making it easy to monitor supply levels and the ability to be refilled twice as fast as comparable dispensers.

Columbus is also preparing to host major sporting events, including the NCAA DI Women's Final Four and NCAA DI Women's Volleyball Championship at Nationwide Arena in 2027, as well as a 2028 National Women's Soccer League expansion team at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.

City leaders and local partners view the Huntington Park milestone as part of a broader effort to strengthen Columbus' sports infrastructure, prioritize guest comfort, and improve the sports experience for women and girls, whether they are competing, attending as fans or developing careers in and around sports.

The move to expand access to period care as a basic necessity across all of its major sports venues builds on a nearly decade-long push for menstrual equity that began with a 2017 pilot program in city recreation centers and homeless shelters.

"Period care should be accessible to all athletes and fans," said Linda Logan, CEO & President of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. "When girls and women feel fully supported they can thrive in sport and in life. Columbus has an opportunity to create more pathways for women and girls to shape the future of sports, and we are proud to partner with Columbus-founded Aunt Flow to lead the way."

"As Columbus continues to grow as a premier destination for women's sports, we are being intentional to ensure the best experience for all athletes, visitors, fans and participants," said Sarah Townes, Chief Marketing Officer and Innovation Officer for Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. "Providing access to free period products across our major sports venues is a key part of that experience. Through our IgniteHER Columbus initiative we are working strategically to attract more events, grow fandom and generate additional opportunities for women and girls across the sports ecosystem."

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ABOUT AUNT FLOW

Aunt Flow is a Columbus-based company that helps businesses, schools, government facilities, and public spaces stock their bathrooms with free and accessible organic-cotton pads and tampons. Aunt Flow's award-winning, ADA-compliant free-vend dispensers allow companies and public venues to provide high-quality period products at no charge to all menstruators using their facilities. The woman-owned company has dispensers installed in more than 70,000 bathrooms across the U.S., UK and Canada. Committed to inclusivity, transparency, advocacy, and accessibility, the brand has donated more than seven million period products to nonprofits that support menstruators in need. Learn more at https://www.goauntflow.com

ABOUT THE GREATER COLUMBUS SPORTS COMMISSION
The Greater Columbus Sports Commission's mission is to rally Columbus to compete and win sporting events, providing a singular athlete and fan experience and positively impacting image, economy and lifestyle. Since 2002, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission has hosted more than 1,375 sporting events, generating an estimated $1.8 billion in direct visitor spending. Learn more at ColumbusSports.org.

ABOUT EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS
Celebrating 85 years in 2026, Experience Columbus is the destination marketing organization for the Columbus region dedicated to growing visitor spending and enhancing the visitor experience. Annually, visitors make 53.2 million trips to Greater Columbus for conventions, trade shows, sporting events and leisure visits, spending $8.2 billion and supporting more than 82,500 jobs. For more information, visit ExperienceColumbus.com.

Media Contact:
Nish Amarnath
Lanecraft Lab
[email protected]
917 683 1953

Debbie Briner
Office of Mayor Ginther
[email protected]
(614) 645-6467

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