Aspiring young goalkeepers and fans of Mackenzie Arnold will finally be able to buy the “iconic” purple Matildas jersey seen at last year’s Women’s World Cup, with replica shirts to go on belated sale in Australia on Tuesday.
Manufacturer Nike came under fire during last year’s tournament when, despite surging demand following Arnold’s heroics in the record quarter-final shootout win over France, women’s goalkeeper jerseys were not available to buy.
The issue was also highlighted by England’s goalkeeper Mary Earps, who said before the tournament she was angry that fans could not buy her shirt.
At the time, Nike accepted it “didn’t serve those fans” who wanted to get their hands on an official Arnold shirt and in November it pledged to make Matildas goalkeeping shirts available before the next major tournament.
Football Australia on Monday said the goalkeeper jersey in the “iconic purple colourway” made famous by Arnold – who rose to prominence thanks to her impressive performances at the tournament – will go on sale from 12pm AEDT on Tuesday on Football Australia’s website and at Rebel Sport and Ultra Football from Wednesday.
“The support we as goalkeepers have felt from our fans over the last year has been absolutely incredible,” Arnold said.
“When I was a young athlete, the idea that I could make a living as a goalkeeper never really crossed my mind. It’s a testament to how far our game has come that the next generation of keepers will now see fans wearing our jerseys in the stands.”
The jerseys will be available just in time for the Matildas’ final Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan on Wednesday at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, where the shirts will also be on sale inside and outside the venue.
The match, which is expected to confirm the team’s place at this year’s Paris Olympic Games, is the 12th consecutive time the Matildas have sold out a stadium on home soil.
In the absence of an official Arnold replica playing jersey at last year’s World Cup, some clothing outlets opted to design their own, paying tribute to the goalkeeper as a “brick wall”.
As calls grew during the tournament for Nike to sell goalkeepers’ shirts, the company announced it would sell “limited” England, USA, France and Netherlands goalkeeper shirts.
Fans will have to fork out $125 for a women’s or men’s size adult Matildas’ goalkeeping shirt, or $100 for a youth size.
Arnold wore the purple jersey just twice during the Matildas’ successful World Cup campaign, with black and pink versions also given outings.
