Moments after footballer Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal of the women’s European Championships on Sunday, she ripped off her shirt to reveal a Nike-branded sports bra.
For England, it was a scene unlike any other in football history. For Nike, the Lionesses’ outfitter and maker of the undergarment that appeared on almost every British newspaper on Monday morning, it was the culmination of nearly a decade of investment in English, and particularly women’s, football.
When John Donahoe, Nike’s chief executive since January 2020, made his first post-pandemic trip to the UK this May, he met with a panel of current and former England women’s players to learn more about the increasingly popular game.