August 20th 2023.
Mary Earps' exceptional performance in the Women's World Cup Final has gained her a lot of recognition and appreciation from England fans, but unfortunately they are unable to buy her replica England goalkeeper shirt. Despite the fact that she was recently awarded the World Cup Golden Glove award and was named Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper in 2020, kit manufacturer Nike have not made her shirt available for sale.
The decision has been described as 'hugely hurtful' by Mary Earps herself, who even offered to pay for the shirts for her friends and family. Her impressive display in Sunday's match has reignited calls from supporters for Nike to change their stance but it looks like they are only willing to look into the matter for future tournaments.
A statement from Nike on Sunday read: ‘Nike is committed to women’s football and we’re excited by the passion around this year’s tournament and the incredible win by the Lionesses to make it into the final. We are proudly offering the best of Nike innovation and services to our federation partners and hundreds of athletes. We hear and understand the desire for a retail version of a goalkeeper jersey and we are working towards solutions for future tournaments, in partnership with FIFA and the federations.
Earps has expressed her disappointment at the decision made by Nike, saying: ‘For my own family, friends and loved ones not to be able to buy my shirt, they’re just going to come out and wear normal clothes. All my team-mates, they’ve ordered a lot of shirts for their friends and family, they’re talking at the dinner table “I wasn’t able to get this” and I’m saying “I wasn’t able to get it at all”. It’s a very scary message that’s being sent to goalkeepers worldwide that “you’re not important”.'
It is clear from Mary Earps' impressive performance in the World Cup Final and her accolades that she is an essential part of the England team. It is a shame that fans cannot purchase her replica England goalkeeper shirt and it is understandable that Mary Earps is disappointed with the decision. Hopefully, Nike will take this into consideration and make her shirt available for sale in the future.
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