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She’s been dubbed “Mary Queen of Stops”, has been named the world’s best goalkeeper and is now a bona fide national treasure after this summer’s World Cup – but just four years ago Mary Earps was sitting on her kitchen floor in tears. The star was ready to give up after being left out of the England squad, her international football career seemingly in tatters.
How things have changed. Her decision to fight on proved an inspired one and the woman affectionately known as “Mearps” became a world beater who is inspiring the next generation.
Now 30, she played a key role for England’s Lionesses at this summer’s World Cup in Australia and is also having success with her club Manchester United.
It’s all led to her being in the running for Sports Personality of the Year 2023 – but how did she get here? Read on to find out more about her life.
Early life in Nottingham and ‘having a go’
Mary Earps, the eldest of three children, was born in March 1993 to parents Julie and David, who run hairdressing and food businesses. She grew up in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire and has spoken of how she was always keen to forge her own path.
She said her parents would encourage her to try different activities, including badminton, swimming, judo and dancing. She doesn’t think she was “very good” at everything but remembers: “My dad used to say, ‘Don’t knock it till you try it,’ so I’d give it a go.”
The start of a life in football
Earps enjoyed sports while growing up and began playing football when she was eight and would kick a ball about in the garden with her brother. Her dad took her to West Bridgford Colts girls’ team at the age of ten, where she realised she was good when she saved a penalty.
She always had the confidence to shout at the defenders in her team – a quality fans now adore her for and something she says stems from a lot of dancing during her childhood. She told Mail Sport in 2022: “When you’re doing a singing and dancing solo on stage to Pop Goes the Weasel, demanding your defender to go a little bit right or left doesn’t faze you.”
Earps said the boys at her school were “great” at allowing her to join in with their games of football but she had more difficulty with adults, who would question her parents on why they were letting her play football. She remembers that despite this, she “just did my own thing” and “stayed in my own world.”
At the age of 14, she started playing for Leicester City at their centre of excellence then went on to play for Nottingham Forest, Doncaster Rovers Belles, Birmingham City, Bristol Academy and Reading – a club she joined while still having a part-time job in a cinema. She then joined the German club Wolfsburg before moving to Manchester United in 2019.
Perhaps with one eye on the future, in 2012 Earps became a student at Loughborough University. She graduated with a degree in information management and business studies but while nearing the end of her studies, had decided to become a professional footballer.
She earned her first international cap in 2017 in a friendly against Switzerland and was named in the squad for the 2019 World Cup.
During this summer’s World Cup she was responsible for one of 2023’s most iconic sporting moments when she saved a penalty from Spain’s Jenni Hermoso in the World Cup Final – then screaming “f****** yes, f*** off!”.
From ‘retirement’ to replica shirts fight – and how Sarina Wiegman changed everything
Earps has said that after three other goalkeepers were picked ahead of her in the England squad in autumn 2020, she felt she had “sort of reached my limits”. She told the Mail: “I had given football a good go, but wasn’t quite good enough. I had responsibilities, I had a mortgage and it wasn’t adding up.'”
She told the BBC: “Eventually I decided ‘OK, I’ll give it a couple more years…’ And then Sarina came in and life changed, literally like that. I felt like she really understood where I came from and had empathy for me as a human being.
“Not something I’ve experienced a lot in football over the years. I like her directness, her honesty.”
A year later, she was called up to Wiegman’s first Lionesses squad and the rest is football history. Her No.1 spot assured going into Euro 2022, her performances were key to England winning the tournament.
Before her profile soared to new heights with the 2023 World Cup, Earps even took on England kit supplier Nike after learning fans could not buy a replica of her goalkeeper shirt for the tournament. She said at the time: “It’s a very scary message that’s being sent to goalkeepers worldwide that ‘you’re not important’. It’s hugely disappointing and very hurtful.”
The brand eventually put the jersey on sale in October – only for it it sell out in hours.
Officially the world’s best goalkeeper
The shot-stopper has been racking up the honours and award nominations. She won Fifa’s Golden Glove award for her performances in the 2023 Women’s World Cup and was also crowned the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper for 2022. She made history at the recent Ballon D’or ceremony by finishing fifth in the standings for the Feminin prize – the highest ever placing for a goalkeeper.
And the awards are still rolling in – in November Earps was named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year 2023. And at the recent North West Football Awards she picked up the Billy Seymour Impact Award, which recognises an individual who has had a significant positive effect on football in the region.
Life away from football and a passion for business
Earps keeps her personal life private but she gave a rare glimpse into her life away from football in an interview with the Guardian earlier this year. It revealed that she loves interiors and DIY and enjoys watching her favourite movies, including Harry Potter, and reality TV like Real Housewives. She also likes cinema trips and trying out new restaurants.
She owned two houses by 30 and said she loves business, with her portfolio of interests including property and a clothing line. A line fans called “Mearps Merch” included t-shirts with “Be unapologetically yourself” and “Girls know the offside rule too” across the front and became a sell-out.
However Earps remains grounded and says she isn’t interested in “living a life of luxury”. She said that to her, her business interests are about “freedom and being able to do what I want, when I want. That really motivates me.”
“I thought university life was manic”
With football for her club and country, a string of awards to her name and businesses to build, life has never been busier for Mary Earps. But she is relishing her key role in the growth of women’s football – and the legacy she and the Lionesses are creating for future players and fans to build on.
She was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Loughborough University, saying at the ceremony: “Life at Loughborough back then was what I thought was manic, little did I know life was going to get a lot more manic later down the line!
“It’s great to be part of the growth of women’s football. Many people have come before us and we’ve stood on their shoulders and benefited from that. Hopefully, future generations will equally benefit from what we’ve achieved in this time.”
‘Mary Queen of Stops’, social media and being ‘unapologetically yourself’
The player’s fame reached new heights after the Women’s World Cup in Australia this summer. In an interview with the Guardian after the tournament, Earps admitted she was “still figuring it out”. She said: “It’s an incredible feeling – that the nation really got behind us as a team this summer, but also me, individually.”
She said she had never previously experienced “support like that”, adding: “I’m trying to enjoy it for as long as it lasts”.
She has been dubbed ‘Mary Queen of Stops’, and is also an ace at using social media to connect with fans, earning her the nickname TikTok Queen.
Her approach to life was summed up in a speech she gave after being named Best Goalkeeper at the FIFA awards in February, acknowledging tough times in her career and staying true to who you are.
She said: “This is for anyone who has ever been in a dark place. Just know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. There’s only one of you, and that’s more than good enough. Be unapologetically yourself.”
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