This year’s Women’s World Cup is arguably the biggest and best ever in it’s history, and on the back of becoming European Champions one year ago today, The Lionesses are doing well so far in the tournament.
However, goalkeeper Mary Earps and many England fans are outraged as kit manufacturer Nike haven’t made the goalkeeper shirts available to purchase.
After winning the Euro’s last year, England goalkeeper Mary Earps has gone onto to receive The Best FIFA Women’s goalkeeper award and has been on an incredible journey in her career.
However, despite receiving this award Nike (who are the kit producers for England) have not made the World Cup goalkeeper shirt available to buy.
This isn’t just the case for England either, Nike or even Adidas have no goalkeeper shirts for any women’s nation available to purchase on their websites.
The Women’s World Cup this year is said to be all about continuing to inspire more girls to get involved and start playing football all across the globe not just in England.
So, for Nike and Adidas not to have goalkeeper shirts available shows that the goalkeeper position is almost being unrecognised as important, at least to them.
For Mary Earps herself, she finds the decision “hugely disappointing and very hurtful.”
The decision is coming back to bite Nike, as during the tournament so far we’ve seen some excellent match winning saves be made from many different goalkeepers including Mary Earps. But young goalkeepers or goalkeeper fans in general can’t have their idols’ names on the back of shirts because they’re not available.
So what do England fans think?
“My thinking on the matter is that goalkeepers potentially hold the most important position on the pitch and are an integral part of the team so why when selling ‘team shirts’ are they excluded. It isn’t fair. It shows that big companies don’t think that goalkeepers are important to the game/team.”
Hannah Dennis
“My daughter is a goal keeper, and Mary earps is her hero,
“She cried when we told her we couldn’t get her kit again this year, that’s all she wanted for her birthday,
“All women England players are hero’s to these girls but as a little goalkeeper we should be proud of them too!!! Without a goalie a team isn’t complete!!!”
Laura Eckley
“I think that it’s bad on Mary Earps especially because of how big of a name she has become. After winning the women’s best Goalkeeper award, which would of made her feel brilliant, for Nike not to sell her kit is a big confidence loss. I think they should sell the Goalkeeper kit as much as they do the home and away kit. This would make Mary feel down and disheartened Nike should be better because young Goalkeepers would want a Goalkeeper kit especially with the likes of Mary on the back.”
Evie, 12-years-old – A huge Utd fan and a huge Mary Earps fan
“Her kit SHOULD be available to buy as 100s if not 1000s of young girls want her name on their back. A football team is not a football team without a goal keeper. And Mary is the best in the world. She is an inspiration.
“Her kit is IN HIGH DEMAND!!! Her kit SHOULD be available to buy. If NIKE can sell the mens goalkeeper kit and NOT the womans. That is just plain sexism and after making history at the Euros and the amount of work the Lionesses..including Mary who is vice captain have done to progess womans football. It sends an awful message. It’s discrimination and ignornace from Nike. Not the direction womans football should be going. Period. Also her kit is BEAUTIFUL and would sell out in a few hours!!!”
Lauren Mars
Many more fans who I asked for comments from all shared the same opinions, Nike SHOULD be selling the goalkeeper kits as they would 100% SELL.
Has anything been done?
In terms of Nike themselves nothing has been done as of yet. However, Mary Earps released her own range of t-shirts called the MAE27 range back in June and The Art of Football teamed up McDonalds and created a t-shirt in support of Mary Earps which Stormzy has been pictured with.
Fans have also taken it upon themselves to highlight to Nike just how much they want the shirt. A 16-year-old girl called Emmy set up a petition for Nike to sell the shirts which has received over 1000 signatures so far, you can sign it yourself by clicking this link –> https://chng.it/7W2fkmmSPv
Another young fan called Amelia who idolises Mary Earps and is arguably one of her biggest fans created a video pleading to Nike to produce and sell the shirts for “people like me.”
Earps has even offered to fund the production of the shirts herself, which so far has lead to nothing from Nike.
It’s clear that so many fans are angered and frustrated by the decision Nike has taken. And as mentioned they are yet to comment on the matter so it’s unclear whether we will see the England goalkeeper shirt available to purchase at some point, many fans will be hoping it does though.
Sporty AF 