How Mary Earps Went From Almost Quitting Football to Winning SPOTY 2023
She was on the verge of hanging up her gloves and joining her brother’s business. But a change of coach and a remarkable World Cup campaign turned her fortunes around. Now, Mary Earps is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023, following in the footsteps of her Lionesses team-mate Beth Mead.
The Manchester United goalkeeper beat five other contenders, including cricket star Stuart Broad and golf legend Rory Mcllroy, to claim the prestigious award. She also became the second consecutive women’s footballer to win the honour, after Mead’s heroics at UEFA EURO 2022.
Earps had a phenomenal year, playing every minute of England’s run to the World Cup final in Canada, where they lost to the hosts on penalties. She also won several individual accolades, such as the Golden Glove for the best goalkeeper of the tournament, the Best Women’s Goalkeeper at FIFA’s The Best awards, and the England Women’s Player of the Year.
But her journey to the top was not easy. In early 2021, she was out of favour with the national team and her contract with Manchester United was expiring. She was 28 years old and had not played for England since November 2019. She was seriously considering leaving the sport and pursuing a career in business with her brother.
That’s when Sarina Wiegman came in. The Dutch coach, who had led her country to the European title in 2020, took over as England women’s head coach in September 2021. She saw something in Earps that others had missed and made her the first-choice goalkeeper for the World Cup qualifiers.
Earps seized the opportunity and never looked back. She was instrumental in England’s qualification for the World Cup, keeping seven clean sheets in eight games and carried that form into the tournament, where she made some crucial saves and showed great leadership and composure.
She also won the hearts of the fans with her humble and humorous personality. When collecting her award, she said:
“First of all, I want to say how humbled I am to be on such a list of incredible athletes. I have really enjoyed hearing your stories tonight.
I think sport is a fantastic thing where it brings the world together and to hear you guys talk and hear about your journeys, I think it is unbelievable so congratulations to you all.
Also, thanks for voting for me to everyone who voted for me! I should probably have started with that one!
I am very honoured and humbled. To me, I think this is the ultimate all-round sporting accolade and I think as the Lionesses – and Manchester United as well – we have had a couple of incredible years, and this is just…wow.
It has not been the easiest journey and I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now without a number of incredible people in my corner so finally I just want to say thank you to them.
I am so glad that I can bring some of my loved ones here today, although I am not going to look at them directly in the eye now because it would be too much [for me].
They have been with me through the really, really not so great times and the last two years have been absolutely unbelievable. I have done more than I could ever have imagined and for that, I am truly incredibly grateful. And to Ian Wilcock and Darren Ward, my goalkeeper coaches who are here tonight as well.
Again, thank you so much to my team-mates and my coaches because I wouldn’t be here without you all. I don’t know what else to say so I am going to get off the stage before I get the boot from Gary Lineker –
The industry panel for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year included former Lioness and Euro 2022 winner Ellen White, ex-Olympian Colin Jackson, Paralympian Ellie Simmonds and former Scotland rugby union international Chris Paterson.
Sports journalists David Coverdale (Daily Mail), Rob Maul (The Sun) and Charlotte Harpur (The Athletic) were on the panel alongside Olympian Katherine Grainger, now Chair of UK Sport.
Representing the BBC were director of sport Barbara Slater, head of sport content Philip Bernie and Sports Personality of the Year executive producer Gabby Cook.
Here are the other awards that were presented on the night:
- World Sport Star of the Year: Erling Haaland, the Norwegian striker who scored 52 goals in 53 games for Manchester City .
- Helen Rollason Award: Fatima Whitbread, the former javelin world champion and Olympic medallist who overcame a traumatic childhood and a life-threatening infection.
- Young Sports Personality of the Year: Mia Brooks, the 15-year-old snowboarder who became the youngest British athlete to win a World Cup medal.
- Unsung Hero: Desmond Smith, the co-founder of the Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club, which has been providing sporting and social opportunities for the local community for over 60 years.
- Coach of the Year: Pep Guardiola, the mastermind behind Manchester City’s historic treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles.
- Team of the Year: Manchester City, the dominant force in English and European football, who won their fifth league title in 10 years and their first Champions League trophy.
Mary Earps’ story is an inspiration for anyone who has ever faced adversity or doubted themselves. She proves that with hard work, determination and a bit of luck, anything is possible. She is a worthy winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023 and a role model for the next generation of footballers.
What do you think of her achievement? Do you agree with the other awards? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family. Thank you for reading!
