Mary Earps becomes the second lioness to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, following Beth Mead the year before. Photo: David Davis/PA Wire
The Lionesses have had a huge impact on the way we think about women's football and have inspired so many young girls to take up the sport. And it's been incredible to watch Mary Earps' growth and influence over the last couple of years.
She only made her England debut in 2017 and my understanding is that early in her career she was really struggling to become a number one goalkeeper. This gives a glimpse into her personality: her determination to really get to where she is now. She was also able to cope with the challenges of playing at an elite level while studying at the same time, earning a degree in information management and business studies.
It's usually the strikers or those who occupy other outfield positions on the team who are best known, but she really stood out as a goalkeeper. She was named FIFA Women's Goalkeeper of the Year for 2022 — the first Englishwoman to be ranked in the top three in both men's and women's goalkeepers since David Seaman in 1996. This is incredible. Young boys and girls often consider other positions before becoming a goalkeeper, but if you look at her game and the value she brings to the game — that penalty save! – it enhances the prestige of this position.
Earps saves Jenny Hermoso's penalty in the World Cup final. Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Earps is also the first goalkeeper to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and it's fantastic to see two women win it back-to-back since Beth Mead last year. It keeps that momentum going.
I always tell my daughter, “Just be yourself.”
When Mary received the Fifa Best award, she said in her speech: “Be your uncompromising self.” This is a great message. I always tell my daughter, “Just be yourself.” It's so important for young girls to just be themselves and not feel like they have to fit into a box. As a young girl, you want to feel like everyone else, but this is an important signal to accept yourself for who you are.
Make a splash because replica England goalkeeper shirts are impossible to buy. It's easy for any athlete to shy away from talking about more important topics and controversial things because they don't want to spoil it with their performance. But not Earps. She is such a strong person that she is able to shed light on areas that she feels are important and continues to perform at an amazing level. I take my hat off to her; she brought up some really important topics that should help young girls feel heard.
She knows her worth. It's pretty hard to notice when you're in the middle of your career, but that's when you're at your strongest, when your voice is loudest and you have a great profile. This is the best time to speak up about what you want because your voice will be heard. I think she will continue to talk. This is important to her and important to many women and young girls.
I have to mention a few other women who stood out to me this year. Katarina Johnson-Thompson wowed me at the World Championships, Keeley Hodgkinson continues to dominate and I hope she gets that gold at the Paris Olympics and Helen Housby has had another great year in netball with her performances and was named Player of the Tournament at the Championships peace. World Championship.
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