Mary Earps, England goalkeeper. Credit: Getty Images/Naomi Baker
Mary Earps lambasted English kit maker Nike for failing to provide fans with women's World Cup goalkeeper uniforms.
Earps, who was named FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year in February after helping the Liones win the European Championship last summer, called Nike's decision «hurtful», «damaging» and «not acceptable» and said it made her «feel very p—«.
She added that the lack of sales of women's goalkeeper shirts is holding back the number of girls wanting to play in goal, and went so far as to question whether the England team should partner with a brand that «has no inclusion in the center» of what it does.
«I can't sugarcoat it in any way, so I'm not going to try. It's very disappointing and very hurtful,» Earps said, speaking ahead of England's World Cup opening match against Haiti on Saturday.
“I think it's a huge problem and I think it's a frightening message being sent to goalkeepers all over the world that you're not important. For this to happen for the second tournament in a row, it's really hard to put into words. This is a truly devastating message.”
Earps' annoyance is centered on the fact that no official goalie kit is on sale, which is not thought to be limited to the English side — it is clear that the production of women's goalkeeper kits for fans to buy is not part of Nike's commercial strategy. However, as Telegraph Sport is aware, a limited number of men's goalkeeper kits have been released ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. Jordan Pickford's wife was pictured wearing the number one jersey at the tournament.
Jordan Pickford's wife Megan Davison wore the number one jersey at the World Championships in Qatar. Photo: The Telegraph/Eddie Mulholland
“I've tried everything,” Earps said. “I tried to use the right channels as often as possible. It's something that I've been very, very quietly struggling with, and probably the lesson I've learned is that I should have made a public statement sooner, maybe I don't know. Unfortunately, it has become quite obvious that this is not possible, and there will be no acceptable solution for young children.
“For my family, friends and loved ones not to be able to buy my shirt, on a personal level, it’s really hard. All my teammates have ordered a lot of jerseys for their friends and family, they talk about it at the dinner table, «Oh, I couldn't get it,» and I'm like, «Yeah, I can't get it at all.» There are a lot of people who have spent huge amounts of money on outfield shirts and then put 1 Earps on the back, which doesn't work for me either.
The Earps, whose Manchester United goalkeeper kit sold out last season through the club shop and is said to be their third best-selling female player kit for 2022-23, added: acting, girls?» And they said, “No, that’s totally unacceptable and we as a group stand for inclusion, which is the exact opposite of what we stand for.”
“They also talked about, ‘Why do we team up with brands that don’t have inclusion at the center, why is it always about the bottom line?’
“I get comments all the time on social media, ‘Mary, where are the shirts?’ and I tried really hard. Unfortunately, I didn't succeed. I'm really sorry that I feel like a huge portion of the fans were really disappointed by this. It makes me feel really p—.”
Telegraph Sport contacted Nike for an answer.
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