A leading Nike executive has said 2019 – the year of the Women’s World Cup in France – will be a “tipping point” for women’s football.
Speaking to Forbes business news site, Amy Montagne, vice-president and general manager of global categories at Nike, said the sports brand had specifically designed kits for the 14 Nike-sponsored women’s teams to have qualified this year’s tournament.
Previously, women’s national teams wore shirts based on the men’s designs.
“From the time we began working on the Women’s World Cup kits three years ago, we believed 2019 would be a tipping point for women’s football,” said Montagne.
“Right now, we are seeing incredible momentum for women in sport, as athletes lead a movement of health and wellness.
“The landscape of sport is expanding, and Nike is invested in inspiring the next generation of female athletes.”
According to Montagne, Nike’s women’s business exceeded $6.9bn (€6.1bn) in revenue in the 2018 financial year.
“The women’s business is over-indexing our men’s growth, with a tremendous Q3 driven by balanced growth across footwear and apparel and strong double-digit growth for Women’s in our Jordan business,” she said.
“We are the number one sports brand for girls and women globally, and there is even more opportunity ahead.
“The women’s footwear and apparel market is 1.5 times the size of the men’s market, yet women’s represents less than a quarter of Nike’s total revenue.
“So we are sharpening our focus by editing and shifting resources to serve her even more completely.”