England Women goalkeeper shirts sell out within hours of launch as Mary Earps hails 'incredible support'

England Women goalkeeper shirts put up for sale in "limited" supply on FA website on Monday and quickly sell out; Lionesses No 1 Mary Earps takes to Instagram to hail "incredible support" of fans which led to Nike making shirts available

Tuesday 10 October 2023 18:53, UK

England No 1 Mary Earps hailed fans' "incredible support" after the long-overdue Lionesses goalkeeper kit sold out within hours of going on sale.

England kit makers Nike finally allowed fans to buy the women's home, away and third goalkeeper shirts through the FA website on Monday but even with no formal announcement about their availability, all available supply was quickly snapped up.

Nike had previously come under fire from fans and Earps herself during the Women's World Cup in August, with fans able to purchase the Lionesses' outfield home and away shirts, shorts and socks - but no goalkeeper kit.

The Manchester United goalkeeper won the Golden Glove at the World Cup, where she saved a penalty in the Lionesses' 1-0 final defeat to Spain.

Nike originally defended its decision in the days after the final, saying they were "working towards solutions for future tournaments".

Earps called the decision "hugely disappointing and very hurtful" before the brand announced a U-turn less than a week later, and announced a "limited" supply of shirts would be available to purchase.

After news of the sell-out on Monday, Earps took to Instagram to express her delight, posting on her stories: "Didn't realise these were going on sale today. And you've sold them out already!

"More are coming before the end of the year, and in more sizes for kids and adults - so stay tuned.

"Thank you all for your incredible support on this. You guys have made this happen."

At the time of the original announcement from Nike, former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to question whether the "limited" run of kit would be enough to serve fans - as has now proven the case.

She wrote: "I find it extraordinary that a major brand got themselves into this pickle in the first place but now it will be very interesting to see what "limited quantity" means and if they come in all sizes, as I suspect a large number of fans of all ages & shapes will want one."