Matildas jersey problem solved as record-breaking Nike deal revealed
A massive Matildas issue that emerged at the Women’s World Cup is set to be resolved as part of a mega deal signed between Nike and Football Australia.
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Nike produced the largest collection of kits for the Matildas’ FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign – but one vital jersey was missing. It’s an error Nike plan to rectify as part of its record-breaking 10-year contract extension with Football Australia.
The big name sporting brand and Football Australia announced the new deal on Friday, taking the partnership into its third decade.
Nike Pacific VP and General Manager Ash Reade said he couldn’t be more excited about extending the deal.
Reade said the demand for Matildas fan gear was off the charts in the lead-up to and during this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The demand hasn’t eased off for women’s or men’s team kits.
“We have had a World Cup qualifier (on Thursday night) against Bangladesh with the Socceroos and the Matildas just played to a few sold-out stadiums in Perth so the demand is incredibly high and we think that as events continue to build … over this next decade,” Reade said.
But one glaring error from Nike was the unavailability of a women’s goalkeeper kit. It led to fans making their own jerseys with Mackenzie Arnold’s name emblazoned on the back.
“In terms of the overall kits this was our largest collection of kits we’ve ever had to actually support the Matildas and the unprecedented demand we had, we were able to serve that, which was incredible,” Reade said.
“We did actually underserve from a goalkeeper point of view. Mackenzie Arnold is a great Nike athlete. We love her dearly and we saw through some really critical times in the tournament how she dealt with adversity.
“We couldn’t be more proud of her and going forward into major tournaments we are building a collection to support goalkeepers like Mackenzie.”
The uptake in the range of jerseys and demand for goalkeeper kits demonstrates that the Matildas are now much more than just team captain Sam Kerr.
“With Sam (Kerr) being out for the first couple of rounds I think what it did was show the ability of the other athletes around Sam who are phenomenal athletes in their own right,” Reade said.
“From a Nike point of view they’re an incredible squad and our role is to continue to elevate it, celebrate them at all levels.”
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said it was the biggest sporting apparel sponsorship in the country.
“We’re very proud to have a sporting brand, the biggest sporting brand in the world partner with the biggest sport in Australia,” Johnson said.
“It gives us confidence to have Nike get behind our vision and principles, but also key strategies such as Legacy 23 investment.
“If we look back at where the investment started and focus back then was on the Socceroos so to see where we are today, which is Nike investing in the Socceroos, the Matildas, grassroots, Pararoos, youth teams and Legacy 23 – it shows so much growth of the organisation into other areas and we’re really proud about that.”
Matildas vice captain and Nike athlete Steph Catley said: “Not only does Nike’s innovative high-performance gear allow us to perform our best on the field, but their unwavering commitment to build the game, invest in us as athletes and broaden access for the next generation of players and fans plays a pivotal role in driving the sport forward. We are thrilled to continue working with them and look forward to the exciting journey ahead.”
Originally published as Matildas jersey problem solved as record-breaking Nike deal revealed
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