Nike has agreed on a U-turn on manufacturing a goalkeeper shirt on Mary Earps amid an ongoing call for the release of a replica shirt.
Prior to the world cup, Earps voiced her disappointment about the fact her young fans as well as her family couldn’t buy a replica kit with her name on it, which is usually pretty common in sports merchandise.
A petition was launched in July for Earps but despite her incredible success, Nike didn’t release her kit.
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However, there seems to be a huge change over at Nike, with the sport apparel and footwear corporation having confirmed that they will be releasing the goalkeeper’s shirt.
Albeit, with a caveat.
Earps’ shirt will be released as a limited edition, with only a certain number of shirts released.
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A spokeswoman for Nike shared a statement with The New York Times on Wednesday (23 August) which confirmed the news: “Nike has secured limited quantities of goalkeeper jerseys for England, U.S., France and the Netherlands to be sold through the federation websites over the coming days, and we are also in conversations with our other federation partners.”
Only two days ago when Earps landed in England after facing off against Spain in the final of the World Cup, Earps hit back at a statement released by Nike.
After the final, the company said: “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.
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"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.
"The fact that there's a conversation on this topic is testament to the continued passion and energy around the women's game and we believe that's encouraging."
Earps took to Instagram on Tuesday (22 August) where she posted a photo on her Story. It included the statement from Nike alongside her response which read: “@Nike is this your version of an apology/taking accountability/a powerful statement of intent?"
Gregory Robinson