And with every stunning save made by Marie Erbis, the goalkeeper who helped the England national team finish second at the Women’s World Cup, complaints from fans rose: Why couldn’t they afford a replica of her Nike jersey?
Nike, which equipped the team, has tried to present itself as being at the forefront of support for female athletes and emerging athletic talent. Although the company, the world’s largest maker of sportswear by sales, acknowledged fans’ interest in replica goalkeeper jerseys, it did not initially commit to making them.
That changed on Wednesday, after thousands of people signed a petition calling for the release of replicas of the shirts worn by Ms Earps and other female goalkeepers, and after a motion addressing the issue was introduced in the British Parliament.
A Nike spokeswoman said in a statement: “Nike has acquired limited quantities of goalkeeper shirts for England, the USA, France and the Netherlands to sell on the FA’s websites in the coming days, and we are also in talks with our other FA partners.” A statement emailed to The New York Times on Wednesday night, referring to members of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA).
Nike is “committed to selling goalkeeper jerseys to women at major tournaments in the future,” the spokeswoman said in the statement, without specifying how many jerseys would be available or when they could be purchased.
In previous days, Nike, which outfitted 13 of the 32 teams in the Women’s World Cup, faced an escalating backlash from soccer fans over the issue. (Replica goalkeeper jerseys were available for four of the men’s teams Nike sponsored at last year’s World Cup.)
Many of the complaints centered around Ms. Erbes, 30, who was awarded the Golden Glove, the tournament’s best goalkeeper award. “She’s the best in the world right now, and she doesn’t have a shirt,” said Beth Mead, who played for England women. he told the BBC. “She doesn’t have a shirt that boys and girls can buy.”
Why wouldn’t Nike want to make replica jerseys of famous goalkeepers?
In the past, goalkeeper jerseys weren’t a bestseller for sportswear companies, for several reasons.
With some exceptions, goalkeepers don’t usually build as enthusiastic a fan base as other players such as forwards, which means shirt sales are likely to drop.
The goalkeeper’s jersey is also different from that of his other teammates to ensure they stand out on the field. (Ms. Earps’ World Cup jerseys were green and pink, while those of her teammates were blue and white.) While the team’s home jersey can be mass-produced—with versions for different players requiring a simple name change on the back—the goalkeeper’s jersey requires a manufacturing process. Much smaller and more personalized.
Despite the growing interest in women’s football, the sport still generates fewer apparel sales globally than men’s football.
Have other brands made shirts for goalkeepers playing in the Women’s World Cup?
Adidas, which equipped 10 teams for the tournament, did not provide a copy of the goalkeeper’s jersey. Nor did Puma, which made kits for Morocco and Switzerland.
But Hamill, which made the shirts for Denmark’s women’s national team, and Kasturi, who made them for Ireland, each produced replica goalkeeper shirts for those teams.
How did the controversy start?
At a press conference at the start of the Women’s World Cup, Ms. Erbes expressed her frustration with Nike’s decision not to provide replica jerseys for the participating teams’ goalkeepers. “It’s very disappointing and very painful,” she said, adding that she had sought talks with both Nike and the Football Association, English football’s governing body, after England won the Women’s European Championship last year.
Ms. Erbis, who works as a goalkeeper for Manchester United in the Women’s Premier League, also dismissed the idea of her shirt not being sold. “My shirt on the Manchester United website sold out last season,” she said.
By the time England faced Spain in the Women’s World Cup final, Ms. Erbis had made several vital saves that helped keep her side in the tournament. Her stellar performance intensified questions about Nike’s decision.
David Seaman, former goalkeeper for Arsenal and the England men’s national team, posted a message of support for Ms. Erbes as she played in the final. “Bet Nike regrets not selling the #maryearps jersey now,” he wrote On X, formerly known as Twitter.
another post on X She shared that day a partial read: “My 10-year-old daughter is the goalkeeper on her school team. She just went online to buy a shirt for next year and wanted a shirt like Mary Earps’s only to find that Nike doesn’t do it.” She said, “This is some stupid the thing.”
In the absence of the matching official Nike jersey, some Ms. Earps fans They made their own shirts using tape. He also started many small retailers Manufacturing shirts similar to her Nike shirt.
How did Nike react initially?
In a statement released after Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final, which England lost 1-0 to Spain, Nike tried to focus on the future.
“We are working on finding solutions for future tournaments in partnership with FIFA and the federations,” the company said. “The fact that there is a conversation on this topic is testament to the continued passion and energy around women’s football, and we think that is encouraging.”
This did not please Mrs. Earps. On Tuesday, she re-posted the Nike statement on her Instagram account, adding the text: “Is this your version of an apology/accountability/strong statement of intent?”
And in another Instagram post, she shared a link to Change.org Petition created to support it. It has garnered more than 150,000 signatures.
Ms. Erbis, acting through a representative, declined to comment for this article.
How did Parliament participate?
This week, Tracy Crouch, an MP and former sports minister, put forward a motion calling on Nike to launch a T-shirt for Mrs. Earps.
“Nike could have changed this,” Ms. Crouch wrote in a letter. Article published in The Independent newspaper Wednesday. “They still could if they took their fingers out of their tin ears and listened to the hundreds of thousands of women who signed the petition, appeared on social media, and heard the protest in the media.”
The change of course by Nike, and the raucous online chorus that apparently prompted it, underline the growing influence of the global women’s game and its major names.