AOF headed over to Manchester, to have a chat to Mary about what life looks like now, how family ties into the journey, and what this summer might look like for the Lionesses.
In order to celebrate the wins of Earps so far, we thought it was about time we sorted her some reworked bits to pay homage to her personality, her career, and her overall success as a woman in sport. It goes without saying, we had a couple of presents for FIFA’s #1 goalkeeper too- the original AOF Ace of Saves print, as well as a reversible reworked tote back. Embroideries on her career on the outside, our Notts shirt on the inside. A tribute fit for the finest.
Embroideries on her career on the outside, our Notts shirt on the inside, the embroidered logo of Mary’s childhood team caught her eye- West Bridgford Colts. A sporty kid, Earps highlights that she knew football came above the rest when she wanted to continue even when things get hard, a resilience that inevitably influences the past, present, and future of her football. Discussing the role of family, she credits them for giving her the ‘support and understanding’ she needed to chase her sporting dreams even when the barriers to women’s football got tough.
Now, these successes push Earps continuously forward. She highlights the importance of chasing the high. Celebrating the wins, then striving for more. It’s this perseverance that strives her to never compromise on becoming the best version of Mary Earps. She reflected on her time juggling playing for Bristol with a degree in Information Management and Business studies as a period of time she learnt what it meant when people say ‘Hard work pays off’. Neither is playing pro and beating Barcelona while doing so. And doing both at the same time seems impossible. That’s why she’s our clean sheet queen, the first person to gain 50 clean sheets in the WSL.
With the World Cup coming in fast, we asked Mary about her thoughts. And essentially the thoughts are- full steam ahead, pointing out the fast pace of football cups meaning that you don’t really stop to think and reflect until it’s over. We could say we understand, looking back on the fast paced seasons of Christmas orders we’ve had before, but it probably doesn’t compare to that on the pitch. Looking back though, Earps describes winning the Euros on the home pitch as ‘the maddest thing ever’, which is probably a fair assessment of that feeling.
And in terms of the Lionesses, the bond of female friendships is pivotal. Building teamwork, mutually experiencing the highs and lows together, it shines true how prevalent human connection is within football. Be it building up your teammates or inspiring the future generations, wins are great but at the core, it’s all about humanity. It’s ‘strong powerful women doing great things’. A sentence that will stick with us.
Winners. Pioneers. Powerful. She’s one of our own. She’s Mary Earps.