Mary Earps

Mary Alexandra Earps (born 7 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Manchester United in the Women's Super League and the England national team.

At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, she served as the vice captain for England, and received the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Earps was announced the winner of 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

She previously played for FA WSL clubs Bristol Academy, Birmingham City, Doncaster Belles, and Reading, and in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg.

In 2009–10 Earps was promoted to Leicester City's first team squad from the centre of excellence, to provide competition for regular goalkeeper Leanne Hall.

The following season Earps signed for Nottingham Forest.

She was an unused substitute in Forest's penalty shootout defeat by Barnet in the FA Women's Premier League Cup final.

Doncaster Rovers Belles signed 18-year-old Earps immediately before the start of the inaugural 2011 season of the FA WSL.

Belles manager John Buckley was pleased to secure her services: "She has outstanding potential and a very bright future ahead of her."

Earps began to play regularly in the second part of the 2011 season, then joined Coventry City on loan during the off-season.

After spending the 2012 season with Doncaster, Earps joined Birmingham City ahead of 2013.

The previous best was 12th achieved by both Christiane Endler and Sari van Veenendaal.

On 7 November 2023, she was awarded the Billy Seymour Impact Award at the 2023 Northwest Football Awards a recognition for her significant positive effect on football in the region.

In November 2023, she was named both the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year and BBC Women's Footballer of the Year.

Earps played for England under-19 at the 2012 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship in Antalya, Turkey.

She won praise for her performances despite England's group stage exit.

In November 2013 she made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut in a 5–2 win over FC Zorky, staged at St Andrew's.

In July 2013, Loughborough University student Earps helped Great Britain to a gold medal in the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia.

The presence of Rebecca Spencer limited Earps's playing time at Birmingham, so she joined Bristol Academy for 2014.

At Bristol Earps played in all but one of the team's matches through the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

When Bristol were relegated at the end of her second season, Earps left to join Reading.

In her first season with Reading, Earps won PFA Team of the Year honours.

Following injuries to Karen Bardsley and Rachel Brown-Finnis, England's senior national team gave Earps her first call up for an April 2014 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification match against Montenegro at the Falmer Stadium, Brighton and Hove.

She returned to the senior squad in September 2015 for England's 8–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying win in Estonia.

Earps has represented England at under-17, under-19, and under-23 levels, and won her first senior cap in 2017.

In June 2017, Earps was called up to England's training camp for UEFA Women's Euro 2017 as a fourth-choice goalkeeper.

On 11 June 2017 she won her first senior cap in a 4–0 friendly win over Switzerland in Biel.

In June 2018, Earps joined defending Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg.

She made her debut on 8 September 2018 in a 11–0 win over Hannover 96 in the DFB-Pokal second round.

The team won their third consecutive domestic double during the 2018–19 season.

It was the highest a goalkeeper had placed since the female award was introduced in 2018.

She had her first senior start in September 2018, in a 6–0 victory over Kazakhstan.

On 12 July 2019, after one season in Germany, Earps returned to England to sign for newly promoted Manchester United ahead of the 2019–20 season.

Earps made her debut for Manchester United against Manchester City in the FA WSL on 7 September 2019, a 1–0 loss in the inaugural Manchester derby.

She kept her first clean sheet for the club on 28 September 2019 in a 2–0 win over Liverpool, the club's first FA WSL victory.

On 26 February 2021, Earps signed a new deal with Manchester United until 2023 with the option of a further year.

Earps kept 14 league clean sheets, a new WSL record, during the 2022–23 Women's Super League season as she won the golden glove and Manchester United finished a club-record best 2nd-place, qualifying for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time as a result.

She also helped the club to reached a major cup final for the first time, losing 1–0 to Chelsea in the final at Wembley Stadium.

In October 2023, Earps came fifth in Ballon d'Or voting.

On 8 May 2019 she was named in the squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.