Lionesses and Manchester United Women’s keeper Mary Earps has once again called out Nike over the ongoing women’s goalkeeper kit saga, with thousands now having signed a petitionurging them to change their minds.
In case you missed it, Nike‘s decision not to manufacture and sell replica female keeper kits this year loomed large over the 2023 Women’s World Cup after England‘s no.1 publicly criticised the sports brand over what they labelled merely ‘financial strategy’.
With millions of fans urging the global franchise to adjust and stock not only Earps’ kit but that of all the other goalkeepers at this year’s women’s tournament, the company finally issued a pubic response but, for many, it was seen as somewhat of a non-statement.
Reacting to the statement on Instagram, the 30-year-old said, “Nike, is this your version of an apology/taking accountability/a powerful statement of intent?”, as well as sharing images of the support she has been receiving online — including a petition that’s now been signed by more than 136,000.
Credit: Mary Earps (via Instagram)Swathes of England supporters and non-football fans alike have signed the Mary Earps petition.
The petition notes how the Nottingham-born shot-stopper’s Man United shirt was also the third-best-selling and ultimately sold out last season, insisting, “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.
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“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.”
Concluding by saying, “Mary and all female goalkeepers, we love and respect you. You are inspirational and we are behind you”, the Change.org petition is now well on its way to 150,000 signatures as it’s clear plenty of Brits still want to show support and buy the kit.
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In fact, the demand for the Lionesses kits, in general, shot up by nearly 4,000% ahead of the World Cup final and Earps’ shirt was one of the most in-demand, and even in the more immediate aftermath of the decision going public, a massive mural of the Golden Glove winner was erected near Old Trafford.
In their statement addressing the mounting pressure from fans, Nike said, “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.”
However, as Earps said at the time, she had been given the same assurances that they would begin manufacturing and selling women’s goalkeeper kits to the public after they failed to do so for the Euros.
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Whether or not Nike will change its position sooner rather than later remains to be seen but one thing is clear: football fans are not letting up.
Tommy Fury announces return to boxing after his ‘hardest battle’ yet
Danny Jones
Manc boxer Tommy Fury has announced his return to the ring later this year, although he’s still keeping tight-lipped about some of the finer detailsabout his next fight.
Tommy Fury has been stuck on the sidelines for the best part of the last two years following his last boxing match against influencer and musician KSI, having reluctantly stepped away from boxing through injury and well-publicised personal issues outside of the sport.
He ultimately pulled out of his intended comeback against Darren Till ahead of what looked to be an already fraught face-off, and his been quiet on the competitive front ever since – until now.
Revealing a scheduled date for the next fight, the 25-year-old took to social media to confirm that he will be back very soon but is withholding some of the particulars for now.
Writing in the caption, the younger Fury brother said: “Two years out. One surgery. The hardest battle I’ve faced has been the mental battle of being away from boxing. But I’m back stronger, sharper, and more HUNGARY than ever.”
However, the most notable omission is who he will actually be taking on, i.e. one of the main reasons fight fans would be interested in the first place.
Although many have been left frustrated by the infrequency of his fights due to multiple cancellations, it’s clearly a concerted effort to build anticipation ahead of the event.
Sharing the date for his Budapest bout – which is coming much sooner than many would have expected (Friday, 9 May) – he signed off by adding: “It’s showtime. Let’s go!”
Besides the social media post, the local fighter published a lengthy announcement video/teaser trailer on the official Tommy Fury YouTube channel on Monday night, in which he states, “the contract has literally just been signed as we speak”.
You can watch the feature in full down below:
In truth, the majority of the video is about brand deals, but it does show getting some training done.
Hyping up his undefeated record, with 10 wins to his name thus far in his still fairly fledgling boxing career, he goes on to say he is “over the moon” and ready to get back in business.
Only time will tell whether this fight will actually go ahead as his followers have gotten more than used to seeing his matches postponed or cancelled. First and foremost, who do you think his comeback opponent is gong to be?
His name has mostly been in the headlines due to his high-profile relationship with fellow famous face Molly Mae-Hague.
The couple, who first met on Love Island back in 2019, welcomed their first child, Bambi, back in January 2023 but went on to split up last August. A docuseries covering their struggles dropped at the start of this year.
Featured Images — Screenshot (via YouTube)/Ghazi Twaissi (via WikiCommons)/The Manc Group
Sport
Belle Vue manager warns of former Aces ahead of Premiership clash
Danny Jones
Belle Vue Aces boss and Aussie speedway legend Mark Lemon has warned his side of Oxford Spires’ quality ahead of their face-off in the Premiership, especially as they prepare to come against some ex-ATPI employees.
With a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership round coming up on Monday night (14 April) and the Aces second in the table with five early points total on the board already, the CEO, Director and Team Manager isn’t underestimating the southern opponents.
Even though Oxford have had a tough start to the season, the Manchester racers can’t afford to be complacent, and Lemon has already identified some key threats on the track, including two former Aces.
It’ll be a thrilling night at the National Speedway Stadium (NSS), as always.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼…
♣️ ATPI Aces v Oxford Spires ⛪️ 🗓️ Monday, April 14, 7.30pm. 🏆 Premiership R1. 🏟️ National Speedway Stadium. 🎟️ Get ticket now: https://t.co/DREWNjxB09 🍴 Hospitality: https://t.co/RFS3gcPD99
Speaking on Sunday ahead of the races, the 52-year-old said: “I know it’s a cliche, but there really aren’t any easy meetings in the Premiership.
“We know what Oxford’s riders are capable of; Rohan [Tungate] and Charles [Wright] can be very good at the National Speedway Stadium, and that makes them dangerous.
“When you add in the likes of [Maciej] Janowski, Erik Riss and guest Dan Thompson, [Oxford Spires] are a strong side.”
33-year-old ‘Magic’ Janoswki from Poland is not only a former world number three but has four FIM Speedway World Cup gold medals to his name.
Nevertheless, the Aces have bounced back after a disappointing 50-40 defeat in the KO Cup by Ipswich Witches to record a double over King’s Lynn Stars, with a narrow loss against Leicester still showing plenty of fight and promise for the rest of the campaign.
Belle Vue Aces’ Jaimon Lidsey pushing hard against King’s Lynn – here’s hoping for more of that against Oxford. (Credit: Taylor Lanning)
Lemon went on to assure that he remains confident, however, adding: “We’re settling back into a routine. It was good that all the boys are getting confidence-building scores.
“Zach Cook, Norick Blodorn and Jake Mulford have all started winning key races and scoring well. Tate Zischke is also solving some bike issues.
“As I’ve said before, at this time of the season, it’s about building momentum. That’s the target.”
The Aces get underway against the Spires at the NSS just down the road in Gorton from 7:30pm – best of luck to all those at Belle Vue.
Danny Jones -
23rd August 2023 
