England’s goalkeeper Mary Earps applauds after receiving the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper of the tournament at the end of the FIFA Women’s World Cup final between Spain and England in Sydney, Australia on Sunday August 20, 2023.
Abbie Parr/AP
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Abbie Parr/AP
England’s goalkeeper Mary Earps applauds after receiving the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper of the tournament at the end of the FIFA Women’s World Cup final between Spain and England in Sydney, Australia on Sunday August 20, 2023.
Abbie Parr/AP
LONDON – Nike is set to start selling replicas of England goalkeeper Mary Earps’ kit after a public outcry that the company failed to make them available to fans during the Women’s World Cup.
Earps had criticized the company, which is England’s supplier to both men’s and women’s national teams, for only offering replica outfield player shirts for sale during the tournament, calling it “extremely disappointing and very hurtful”.
Nike has regularly sold goalkeeper jerseys for the men’s teams it sponsors and the absence of Earps’ jersey in stores created more talk when she saved a penalty and was named best goalkeeper in the final – which Spain won 1-0 Competition.
More than 150,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Nike to start selling Earps jerseys, and some British politicians have also joined the call.
Nike announced on Thursday it had secured “limited quantities” of goalkeeper kits for both England and some of the other teams it sponsored at the tournament – the United States, France and the Netherlands – to be sold through each country’s federation websites should.
“We are aware that during the tournament we did not serve the fans who wanted to show their passion and support for the team’s goalkeepers,” the company said in a statement. “We aim to sell women’s goalkeeper jerseys for major tournaments in the future.”
Earlier on Thursday, Earps club Manchester United said their number 27 jersey was the second best-selling women’s replica jersey this season, behind Lionesses teammate Ella Toone.
Source : www.npr.org