Women's football apparel company Miss Kick has signed Katie McCabe as its first ever global athlete.The Arsenal star joins the brand as the spotlight focuses in on the women's game and female athletes continue to chip away at the glass ceiling.As one of the first of its kind, Miss Kick is not just an online retailer, but a complete game-changer in sport.Miss Kick was started up by its founder, Grace Vella, during her time at university. Printing and packing t-shirts at her mother's kitchen table soon shifted to a full-time dedicated team, that operate from official company headquarters as the brand continues to grow rapidly.As a full-time professional player in the women's game, McCabe is a role model for girls and young women both following and looking to get into football. Teaming up with a brand like Miss Kick, the message being sent out to women has never been more clear.
"Since I met Grace initially, I was really excited when I heard about the brand values — that was something I was really interested in and kind of saw myself in it as well, especially with the inclusion of girls in football," the defender said on joining the company.
"I’m honestly delighted. Their brand values really replicate what I’m about so I’m excited to be the first brand ambassador on board."
McCabe is a game-changer herself. As the Republic of Ireland's youngest ever captain and a trailblazer in the Arsenal first team, the 26-year-old is an active face in growing women's football and helping to squash stigmas surrounding female athletes.
"When you have a platform as a professional footballer playing in a team like Arsenal and representing the Republic of Ireland, you have a duty of care to young footballers — you need to be a role model," McCabe explained.
"When I was growing up, there was never anything like this. We were always wearing men’s clothes, men’s size shorts — so for Miss Kick and Grace to come in and really establish themselves on the market, it’s fantastic."
Vella herself recently stressed the importance of the work she and Miss Kick do for the football community. Providing a safe space where girls and women can feel accepted and comfortable is a huge part of the brand's mission statement.
Coming from a grassroots background herself, Vella is passionate about giving back to the community and providing girls growing up with opportunities to play and be involved in the beautiful game.
"It was important to me that we weren't just a logo on a shirt," she told GiveMeSport Women in a recent interview.
McCabe then predicted more brands to follow the “upwards trajectory” of the growth of the game and produce apparel tailored just for women and girls.
"I think Miss Kick gives girls and young footballers a place of belonging. And taking it back home, I think it gives girls a chance in Ireland to have that inclusion and Grace knows the difficulties we face as women in football at times and she gives those young girls a chance to be a part of something."
Katie McCabe has joined Miss Kick as their first global athlete. To find out more about the brand, head to misskick.com.
