In this profile, sports writer Daisy Ward explains why British sporting hero Mary Earps has inspired us all to never give up.
The year is 2019, Mary Earps is lying on her kitchen floor in complete despair after receiving the news that she has been dropped from Phil Neville’s latest England football squad. She thought she would never represent her country again. Her love and passion for the game crushed, she was contemplating retiring from football altogether.
Today, the Nottingham-born starlet is the world’s best goalkeeper as voted by FIFA and has countless sporting accolades to her name. In December, she was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, fending off competition from popular sport stars like Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Stuart Broad. In 2023, she also won the Golden Glove at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, was named BBC’s Women’s Player of the Year and finished fifth in the Women’s Ballon D’Or, the highest ever place for a goalkeeper.
England’s number one goalkeeper is not shy of silverware either; playing an instrumental part in the Lionesses victories at the Euros in 2022 and the Finalissima in 2023 as well as making the final of the Women’s World Cup in 2023, where England were narrowly defeated by Spain despite Earps’ heroic penalty save.
Earps currently plays her club football at Manchester United, whom she captains. Last season, the shot stopper played a pivotal role in securing a Champions League spot for her team, keeping a record 14 clean sheets in 22 WSL matches.
Mary was born to succeed. She started playing football at the age of 10, initially playing outfield before she reluctantly filled in as a goalkeeper one match and saved a penalty – she has stayed between the sticks ever since! Earps joined the Leicester City academy at 14 and transferred to Doncaster Rover Belles while studying for her A-Levels, earning £25 a game.
The goalkeeper’s determined and driven mindset has been apparent from a young age. Early on in her career, she was working up to six jobs to pay for boots and petrol, including coaching jobs and shifts at the local cinema and in a toy shop. She is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes is right. Last year, Nike were not selling her England goalkeeper shirt prior to the World Cup. After a petition backed by Mary Earps, Nike agreed to release a limited amount of her shirts after the event which sold out in minutes!
Away from football, Earps is passionate about business. In 2014, she graduated from Loughborough University with a degree in Information Management and Business Studies. She has since created her own clothing business called ‘MAE 27’ which has become increasingly popular in recent years.
The 30-year-old likes to express her more goofy and light-hearted side on TikTok, sharing amusing videos of her dancing or joking around with her teammates. She has been crowned the ‘TikTok Queen’ and boasts 1.1 million followers.
Earps is a paradox – both superstar sportswoman and down to earth lass from Nottingham. She is a role model to many of us through the incredible things she has been able to achieve both on and off the football pitch. Mary Earps has made goal keeping cool. What is next for her… in her own words she wants to ‘win the lot’.
