After the run of the English Lionesses during the Women’s World Cup In July 2023, a petition started by teenager Emmy Somauroo was circulated. She called Nike – the team’s sponsor – to make a replica of the football shirt of the tournament’s star: goalkeeper Mary Earps. A month later, over 150,000 people had signed the petition and Nike finally did the right thing: they produced the shirt.
It’s time to close the merchandise gap in women’s sports
‘Together we stand strong’ shows this story, but also something else, namely women’s demand for football merchandise. A year later, and in the midst of Olympic Games with women’s football, a new report from Rep Her this question further and especially how this is not being met.
Researchers commissioned by Klarna and the Sports Innovation Lab discovered through a survey of a thousand sports fans that the sale of women’s football shirts has increased by 17 percent in the past year, compared to 8 percent for men’s football shirts. However, the available options are limited, with 46 percent of respondents saying they wanted a wider range.
Even a cursory glance at the merchandise available for different clubs tells a story. Arsenalwhich I support, has taken the lead when it comes to women’s football, but even here there is a difference – there are 24 women’s T-shirts available on the website, compared to 33 for men.
It’s much worse at other clubs; Chelsea has 31 versus 78, while Manchester City only nine, compared to 65 for men. England aren’t great either: 61 versus 147. Some of this can be attributed to the fact that female football fans are a growing rather than established market for sports brands, but the gap is unmistakably visible.
There are people—well, women—who are doing something to close the gap. Earps launched MAE27 last year, a clothing line of statement T-shirts she’s made (the “be unapologetically yourself” one is sold out in every color). And then there’s Foudys, the site dedicated to women’s football merchandise which Helen Hardy set up in 2020. The site sells a special Rep Her shirt designed by Sophie Hird.
Foudys, a lifelong shirt collector, was inspired by Hardy’s personal experience. “I went to the Women’s World Cup (in 2019). It was the first year that women’s football teams had their own shirts,” she says. “That merchandise wasn’t being sold by the big retailers. That’s why I founded Foudys. To this day, we’re the only platform in the world dedicated to women’s football merchandise.’
Women’s football is becoming increasingly popular
The percentage women interested in football has risen from 25 percent to 33 percent from 2020 to 2023 – and they’re often drawn in by the community and symbolism of women’s football rather than just what happens on the pitch. The shirts are part of that. “Our most popular shirts are Arsenal,” says Hardy. “They’re not the most successful women’s team. But it’s the movement, it’s the commitment to LGBTQ+ people, it’s the fact that their women’s team plays at Emirates Stadium.”
Dr Beth Clarkson, visiting professor at the University of Portsmouth, found a similar sentiment in her research into female football fans and merchandise. They want it to start conversations. ‘By wearing (soccer shirts), participants could interact with others and cultivate a fan base for their teams.’
Until recently, the lack of real sports brands involvement in women’s football merchandise One thing that stood out was the fit. “About five or six years ago, (brands) were like, ‘Let’s do a women’s T-shirt and we’ll make it a big V-neck so your boobs are showing,'” Hardy says. “And then we’ll make it really short so there’s a little bit of belly showing, and women are going to love that.’ They put it out and it was obviously a huge flop … people like me were like, ‘No, you can’t do this any wrong.’
Clarkson found this to be an issue in her research, too. “Some people were talking about deep V-necks and tight fits, that they didn’t want that. And the same thing about size restrictions. For them,[it]was exclusionary,” she says. Clarkson recounts her own experience. “I had just come back from the States and bought a Seattle Sounders shirt, but I had to buy it in a 3x size or something stupid, because the sizes are so small on the women’s models.”
Football fans have been using this kind of solution for a long time. I prefer an oversized style, so I wear men’s shirts in medium. Felicia Pennant, a Chelsea-fan and editor of football magazine Seasondoes something similar. She compares it to the approach she takes with other parts of her wardrobe. ‘In fashion, so many women wear menswear, men and other genders wear so-called womenswear, because they prefer the fit. I think that’s true in football too.’
Could there even be in the future could a time come when football merchandise becomes genderless? Clarkson is sceptical, saying there’s still a demand for women-specific designs. Pennant, however, thinks it’s possible. “I believe a shirt should fit, so in terms of length it should be petite, regular, tall,” she says. “And then it should be slim, regular, oversized. You can choose where you sit on that axis.” Until that happens, and while there’s still demand, let’s hope sportswear brands listen and do something radical – provide women with what they want.
