Seeing an Irish player’s name on the back of an Arsenal jersey really is a rarity.
There have been lots of Irish players in the Arsenal reserve squad over the past number of seasons. However, bar a few cup appearances, they haven’t managed to break into the first team. You can count the number of Irishmen to have played Premier League football for the Gunners on one hand.
Unless it was custom-made, there hasn’t been an official Arsenal shirt bearing an Irish person’s name on the back of it in a shop for a long time.
However, that has changed for 2017 as the North London club have begun selling jerseys emblazoned with Arsenal Women players’ names. England and Arsenal striker Danielle Carter confirmed the good news on Twitter.
To some this means nothing but this is a step for us. A small one but nonetheless one in the right direction ☺️✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/Ev2PlMFe75
— Danielle Carter (@DanielleCarter) August 4, 2017
The move also means the return of the Irish name to an Arsenal kit. As you can see from the photo, Republic of Ireland international Katie McCabe’s jersey is available to buy.
Former Raheny United player McCabe signed for Arsenal Women from Shelbourne Ladies in 2015. She went on loan to Glasgow City in August 2017, but her Arsenal jersey is still proudly displayed in the store.
There’s no sign of it in Carter’s photo, but here’s hoping you will also be able to purchase the jersey of McCabe’s clubmate and Republic of Ireland star Louise Quinn.
