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United Kingdom
Summary:
- Nike did not want to sell goalkeeper shirts of England’s Mary Earps
- Mary Earps and over 150,000 fans put pressure on Nike to reverse their decision
- Nike gave into the pressure and has now decided to sell goalkeeper shirts for four countries
Nike who sponsored England at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has received a lot of flak in the last few days for not making available the goalkeeper jersey of England’s Mary Earps.
Mary Earps was outstanding for England all tournament and ended up saving a crucial penalty for England in the final against Spain. Earps who wears the number 1 green jersey for England won the ‘Golden Glove’ award at the World Cup.
150,000 Fans Protest Against Nike’s Decision
Nike was the sponsors for four teams during the recently concluded 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Nike sponsored England, Netherlands, France and the United States but did not make replica jerseys for any of the goalkeepers in these four teams.
Given the popularity of England’s Mary Earps, the demand for her green jersey skyrocketed and fans were left disappointed when they found out that Nike was not selling any! When Earps found out that Nike was not making her shirt available for sale to her fans, she took to social media to say that it was very hurtful and disappointing.
As many as 150,000 fans signed a petition on behalf of all goalkeepers around the world to put pressure on Nike and other manufactures to threat goalkeepers with respect. This is because companies like Nike end up selling jerseys for all players leaving out the goalkeeper as goalkeepers tend to have a smaller fan base and their jerseys are a lot more expensive to manufacture.
For UK sports minister, Tracey Crouch who is a Conservative MP also put pressure on Nike by submitting a motion in Parliament asking Nike to change their decision and release jerseys for Mary Earps.
Nike Yields To Pressure
Nike was quick to reverse its decision and announce that it will now release football goalkeeper jerseys for England, Netherlands, France and the United States and make them available via each Federation’s website.
In a statement, a Nike representative said
We recognise that during the tournament we didn’t serve those fans who wished to show their passion and support to the squad’s goalkeepers. We are committed to retailing women’s goalkeeping jerseys for major tournaments in the future.
Manchester United Reject World Record Bid
After the U-turn by Nike, Mary Earps was back in the news after being the subject of World Record bid for Women’s Goalkeeper which was rejected by Manchester United. The current record is around £43,000 (€50,000) for Pauline Peyraud-Magnin‘s transfer from Atlético Madrid to Juventus in 2021.
Mary Earps who signed for United in 2019 has one year left on her contract, which will mean if United do not give her a new deal she will able to sign for any club for free next season.
