A petition to force Nike to make the kit of England goalkeeper Mary Earps available for public purchase during the Women’s World Cup has reached almost 35,000 signatures.
England’s home and away replica kits are available for fans to buy but the Lionesses goalkeeper jerseys have not been put up for sale by clothing giant Nike – the team’s kit supplier.
This is despite Earps being a genuine superstar of world football and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world – having been the Lionesses’s shot-stopper when they won the Euros last summer and being named FIFA’s Best Women’s Goalkeeper for 2022.
The 30-year-old has been instrumental in England reaching the quarter-finals of the ongoing World Cup, making a number of crucial saves during both the 120 minutes of normal play and the penalty shootout in the nervy last-16 win over Nigeria on Monday. In fact, in the four games played by Sarina Wiegman’s side in the tournament so far, she has conceded just one goal – a consolation effort in the 6-1 group-stage thumping on China.
England men’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s shirt was available to buy during last year’s men’s World Cup, and Earps’s shirt for club side Manchester United sold well this past season, leading 16-year-old Emmy Somauroo from Northamptonshire to set up a petition demanding Nike produce a replica of the Lioness’s No 1 jersey.
The petition on change.org, which has now reached more than 34,000 signatures, expresses the frustration at Nike’s decision, “We need to unite, and demand this decision is overturned.
“We need to show togetherness and support Mary and ask Nike to rethink their decision. Let’s make them see just how important our female goalkeepers are. How respected they are and how many young girls aspire to join them in the future.
“Any type of exclusion is unacceptable in this day and age and we need to show we will not stand for it. Mary and all female goalkeepers, we love and respect you. You are inspirational and we are behind you.”
ITV Anglia also spoke to another young woman supporting the cause, 17-year-old Millie Winslett, from Clacton in Essex, who has written to the sportswear giant to ask the company to think again.
“I heard that Nike had completely refused to produce the shirt,” she said. “And I thought I know that I’d like it. My sister would like it. And I was thinking, surely something can be done about it. They can’t just outright refuse to do it.”
The letter stated that “every child deserves the right to feel represented by their favourite player, a player that resembles them.” She goes on to say that “you are a multi-billion pound company, even if you only sold one shirt, it would allow for one little girl to feel seen, and that is 100% worth it. We are meant to be moving forwards, not backwards.”
Earps was initially alerted to the situation when England captain Millie Bright told her she wanted to buy her kit for her niece, only to find it wasn’t available for purchase.
“I can’t really sugar-coat this in any way, so I am not going to try,” Earps told reporters ahead of England’s opening World Cup game against Haiti. “It is hugely disappointing and very hurtful.
“My shirt on the Manchester United website was sold out last season. It was the third-best-selling shirt, so who says it is not selling?”
It is the young kids I am most concerned about. They are going to say, ‘Mum, Dad, can I have a Mary Earps shirt?’ and they say, ‘I can’t, but I can get you an Alessia Russo 23 or a Rachel Daly 9.’
“What you are saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important, but you can be a striker if you want.”
Popstar Mel B has also since waded into the row, calling Nike’s decision not to stock the shirt “disgusting”.
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