The programme aimed to give employees a chance to engage with the players and the wider partnership while recognising the skill, care, and contribution behind the Stayfree brand.

Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane, Antonia Maponya and Gabriela Salgado joined head coach Dr Desiree Ellis and SAFA (South African Football Association) CEO Lydia Monyepao at the celebration.

Togetherness

Activities included football drills with learners from Hope Schools and direct engagement between employees and 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 for South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.

Menstrual confidence

The East London gathering marked the latest expression of a partnership that began in June 2026, when SAFA announced Stayfree as the official sanitary pad sponsor of Banyana Banyana.

Introduced under the #KeepingThemLockedIn platform, the partnership aimed to raise awareness of menstrual confidence and its role in helping women and girls focus on performance and participation in sport.

Since its launch, the partnership has 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 created practical support beyond it.

By the time of the East London event, Hope Schools in KuGompo City had received a donation of Stayfree sanitary pads through the Goals 4 Pads initiative.

Spotlighting the people in the ground

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 could take part firsthand, 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.

Beyond the pitch

For Stayfree, the partnership was rooted in the belief that sport could be 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 employees who contributed to the brand every day.

It also reinforced the partnership’s wider ambition: to champion confidence, participation and progress, and to help more women and girls pursue their potential on the pitch and beyond.