Columbus Becomes First US City to Provide Free Period Products at Major Sports Venues

Columbus, Ohio, is making sports history as the first city in the country to provide free period products at all its major sports venues. Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers, joined Ohio Stadium, ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Nationwide Arena, Historic Crew Stadium, and the Schottenstein Center in providing free-vend period products to guests. Across the venues, Aunt Flow has now installed 165 free-vend period product dispensers.

Columbus is gearing up to host major sporting events, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division I Women’s Final Four and NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship at Nationwide Arena in 2027, and 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 the city’s sports infrastructure, improve guest experience, and promote inclusivity. The move to expand access to basic necessities 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.

This milestone also aligns with IgniteHER Columbus, a citywide initiative led by Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and First Lady Shannon Ginther in partnership with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and Experience Columbus, which aspires to secure Columbus’ place as the nation’s capital for girls and women’s sports.

“IgniteHER is all about empowering women through sports, and as part of that, I want to grow our fandoms cheering for and made up of women here in Columbus,” said Mayor Andrew Ginther. “Offering free period products across all of our major sports venues chips away at another barrier girls and women face, and creates spaces where they feel seen, valued, and confident.”

The announcement comes at a time when recession and tariffs are impacting the cost of these necessities for women and girls. Additionally, it accelerates a growing trend where sports venues are prioritizing guest experience, fan comfort, and period-product access as an American with Disabilities Act-compliant restroom essential.