Sport

Demand for Lionesses kit skyrockets by 3,981% ahead of Women’s World Cup final

This team have ignited something very special and we couldn't be more proud of them.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 18th August 2023

The demand for the Lionesses kit has gone through the roof as Google searches for shirts have skyrocketed by a massive 3,981% ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup final this weekend.

The England women’s team reached the World Cup final for the first time in history this past Wednesday following a tense semi-final victory against host nation Australia and, as a result, the clamour for this year’s kit online shot up by nearly 4,000%.

As per research carried out by popular online retailer, Boohoo, Google searches for ‘Lionesses’ kit have absolutely exploded as fans are preparing to pull on their colours for WHEN, not if, we win on Sunday.

Sarina Wiegman‘s side will be playing in the blue away shirt they were in the semis as they take on Spain in red. Can’t lie, the nerves have started already.

According to their findings, not only did searches for the Lionesses kit shoot up massively but so too did ‘Lioness shirt’, which have increased by a whopping 3,617%.

ADVERTISEMENT

Meanwhile, more general searches for ‘England shirt’ have also risen by 2,220% as the both the men’s and the women’s current set of kits have gone down a treat over the past year or so — even if they are a bit pricey.

Nevertheless, using data from their Google Trends analysis, the most in-demand Lioness shirts are Man City‘s Lauren Hemp, followed by captain Leah Williamson and Man United‘s Mary Earps following Nike’s female goalkeeper kit controversy.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sadly, while plenty of people will donning some kind of England shirt on Sunday, fans still won’t be able to wear an Earps kit after the United Women’s star called out Nike for not refusing to put the women’s putting the female keeper shirts on sale for the World Cup.

Massive Mary Earps mural appears near Old Trafford as Nike refuses to sell her Lionesses kit

Read more:

Thankfully, plenty of fans have been going out of their way to show support for England’s no.1 by purchasing outfield shirts and putting her name and number on anyway — just goes to show the love for this team and how much the nation has rallied behind them.

As for direct shirt sales themselves, it is estimated that they shot up by more than 700% online following their semi-final victory and we suspect countless more fans have been copping kits in person.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Lionesses kick off against Spain in the final at 11pm on Sunday and you know Manchester will be packed with fans cheering them on every step of the way.

Come on, girls, nearly there. It’s coming home.

Where to watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Manchester

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Lionesses (via Twitter)

Sport

Tyson Fury says he hasn’t spoken to his wife in ‘three months’ whilst preparing for Usyk rematch

Danny Jones Danny Jones Tyson Fury hasn't spoke to his wife Paris for three months preparing for Usyk 2 rematch

Tyson Fury says hasn’t spoken to his wife Paris for three whole months while preparing for the much-anticipated Oleksandr Usyk rematch.

The Manc fighter is set to face the Ukrainian counterpart in the ‘Undisputed’ sequel, simply dubbed Fury vs Usyk 2, which will result in one unified heavyweight champion of the world.

Usyk’s victory over the Wythenshawe-born boxer back in May saw him take that title for the first time since 1999 (the only man to have done so in the four-belt era) but with the rematch nearly upon us, Fury could be set to steal that title away from him.

With that in mind, the pressure has clearly been on ever since he lost the first bout and, according to Tyson himself, he hasn’t spoken to his wife Paris Fury for virtually a quarter of a year as part of his immensely strict training camp.

Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of the match this weekend, he claimed: “I haven’t spoke to Paris in three months – not a word. [I’ve] not spoke to anyone, I haven’t been on my phone.”

Explaining that he simply removed all distractions to get his head in the right space ahead of the title decider, ‘The Gypsy King’ has been known to isolate himself from the rest of the world before a big fight in the past, but cutting contact with your spouse of 10 years and partner for nearly two decades is wild.

The 36-year-old went on to detail that in order to give himself the best shot at winning, he couldn’t keep switching between “beast mode to dad mode to wife mode” and so on.

In separate interviews with other outlets ahead of the highly-awaited rematch, Fury has made various other big claims about what boxing fans can expect from his own performance, including an admission that he needs to be “more focused this time and not do as much showboating” in the ring.

Nevertheless, he also assured the media that he isn’t a quitter and has promised he will not just “f*** up” his 37-year-old opponent but “retire” him. Usyk, on the other hand, has warned he will be a different challenge than the last time the two faced each other, predicting a knockout victory too.

Having downed Tyson more than once the last time around, he’s understandably confident of his chances.

Bold words from the pair of them, indeed, but this is all just part and parcel of the usual pre-fight build-up; all we really know is that Usyk won the previous face-off and Fury is the one with the point to prove.

While younger brother Tommy Fury recently had to pull out of his scheduled fight against Darren Till, during which tensions seriously boiled over during the first press conference, it looks as though there is no risk of more cancellations and any more ‘will they won’t they?’ antics between these two at least.

The rematch, or ‘Fury vs Usyk 2: Undisputed’ to give use its full title (the latest in Saudi Arabia’s growing fight scene and live sports programming as part of Riyadh Season) takes place this Saturday, 21 December, with the two set to clash once again from 10:25 GMT.

Who do you think will emerge victorious from this one and, more importantly, when do you think we’ll see the third and ‘final’ fight when they inevitably demand a trilogy?…

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — paul62_2017 (via Flickr)/Netflix (via screenshot)

Sport

A Manchester City fan has died after a medical incident at Manchester derby

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Manchester City has confirmed one of its supporters has died after a medical incident at the derby match. Credit: The Manc Group

A Manchester City fan has tragically passed away after a medical incident at the Manchester derby yesterday.

The club has confirmed that one of the club’s supporters died after collapsing during the match against Manchester United.

They wrote: “Manchester City are aware of the tragic news that one of our supporters passed away following a medical incident at yesterday’s match.

“The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with their family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

Man City and Manchester United faced off at the Etihad Stadium yesterday, with Man United eventually taking the win thanks to a 90th-minute goal by Amad Diallo.

An eyewitness told the Manchester Evening News they saw the fan being administered CPR at around 4:10pm.

People have been leaving tributes to the Manchester City fan, who has not yet been named, online.

One person wrote: “RIP that city fan. No one should go to a football match and not come home again. RIP”

Another said: “An important reminder amongst all the squabbling over yesterday’s result is that the football isn’t everything. Thoughts are with his family, RIP blue.”

Someone else posted: “Rip blue. Thoughts are with your family and friends at this sad time.”

Read more

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

More Sport

Pep Guardiola says he is not good enough after Manchester derby loss

Sport

‘I am not good enough’: Pep Guardiola makes bold claim after Manchester derby defeat

Crime

10 ‘high-risk’ Manchester football fans arrested following recent violent disorder

Sport

Pep Guardiola says he won’t manage another club after Manchester City

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches