ENGLAND’s No1 Mary Earps is her country’s TikTok queen, who has an eye for business.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper looks set to start between the sticks in Sunday’s World Cup final when the Lionesses face Spain.
But off the pitch she has her own clothing brand.
Earlier this year, Earps set up MAE27 to allow fans an alternative shirt to buy after Nike failed to deliver one.
The motto for the label is ‘Be unapologetically yourself’, as the shotstopper aims to cap off an incredible achievement of being a World Cup winner.
Thinking ahead
Back in 2016, Earps completed a degree in Information Management and Business Studies.
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That encouraged her to think about a career after football, so she turned to fashion.
Her row with Nike increased her desire as she produced her own T-shirts with her brand name Mae27 plastered on them.
The American brand shamefully revealed in July that England fans would be unable to buy her jersey.
Fans took to a petition – which gathered almost 50,000 signatures.
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“It’s a very scary message that’s being sent to goalkeepers worldwide that ‘you’re not important,” Earps said.
“It’s hugely disappointing and very hurtful.”
Nike, finally, decided they had to act and FA chief Mark Bullingham revealed there is a plan in place for shirts to be able to buy before England’s game against Spain.
Social media star
Such acts have made Earps a popular figure online.
But it’s on TikTok where her personality has really shone.
Alongside team-mate Millie Bright, she’s not afraid to show off her dance moves and love of music.
That’s interspersed with training clips and more clowning around with her football pals, including Ella Toone and Alessia Russo.
Her fellow Lionesses call her the ‘TikTok Queen’, and it’s easy to understand why.
She has amassed a staggering 750,000 followers on the platform and drawn a remarkable 11.4million likes on the video sharing site.
She’s come a long way
Earps made her debut when she was just 17 with Doncaster in the WSL.
At the same time, she was working part-time in a cinema.
Back in February, she scooped the ‘Best Goalkeeper’ at the Fifa awards. She has come a long way.
“I’m grateful for every single part of my journey because it’s made me the character and person I am,” Earps told Mail Sport last year.
“You know when to demand more from certain situations that aren’t acceptable.”
But, it wasn’t always this way. In 2020, she couldn’t dislodge regular keepers Carly Telford, Ellie Roebuck, Hannah Hampton and Sandy MacIver in the England pecking order.
“I got to a point where I felt I had sort of reached my limits,’ Earps said.
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“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.”
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Throughout the World Cup, Earps has stood firm when England have needed her and is the calming influence on the Lionesses defence.
Sunday, she will be hoping to be a World Cup winner, alongside ‘TikTok Queen’ and fashion designer.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
