Women’s football

SHE was once so hard-up she worked five jobs to pay for petrol to get to football matches.

But England goalie Mary Earps could now rake in millions after being named Sports Personality of the Year 2023.

Mary picked up the Sports Personality of the Year trophy

She fought to get Nike to make a replica of her shirt for fans

The 30-year-old is set to follow in the commercial footsteps of other England female greats like Alex Scott, Chloe Kelly and captain Leah Williamson, with industry insiders hailing their ‘rock star’ appeal that is rapidly catching up with their Three Lions compatriots.

Since winning last year’s Euros, the Lionesses have graced the cover of top fashion magazines, endorsed sports and fashion brands like Nike and Calvin Klein and promoted luxury names such as Gucci.

One sports agent told The Athletic last year: “It feels like I’m managing a celebrity more than a footballer at the minute.

“They’re demanding just as much – possibly even more – money than the male players. Brands and celebrities are passing on their numbers.”

The Lioness’ fame soared further this year after making the final of the World Cup, losing out to Spain in a narrow game that ended 1-0.

One expert said big-name companies will be lining up to offer Mary sponsorship deals because she is already a fan favourite, with thousands chanting her name from the stands.

The stopper is popular not just for her keeper skills but for taking on sports giant Nike.

She took a swipe at the firm for not making a replica of her goalkeeper shirt for fans. They were quickly rolled out and Mary was vindicated when they took five minutes to sell out online.

Stars like Alessia Russo are attracting a new generation of fans

Ella Toone and Russo strike a pose for a magazine front cover

Beth Mead received her OBE from the Prince of Wales

In June this year she launched her own brand MAE27 to offer supporters an alternative shirt with the motto: ‘Be unapologetically yourself’.

She is the second Lioness in consecutive years to be named Sports Personality of the Year after Beth Mead was given the 2022 accolade.

PR expert Sean O’Meara, of Essential Content, told us: “Mary could earn millions. Her potential is huge.

“Winning Sports Personality of the Year opens up all sorts of opportunities and could make Mary a household name.

“Brand and sponsorship deals will increase, presenting jobs are possible and no doubt reality TV shows and programmes like Strictly Come Dancing will start sniffing around.

“It’s a giant opportunity. The whole Nike replica shirt furore boosted Mary’s popularity as the lovable underdog that everyone can root for.

“Now she’s been introduced to a more mainstream audience with this award, people who aren’t necessarily football fans.

“Being the second Lioness to win Sports Personality is good for the whole Lioness brand. They are a really strong, healthy brand with lots of authenticity and scandal-free.”

Lucrative deals

Ella Toone and Alex Greenwood have deals with McDonald’s

Beth Mead even has a mini doll in her likeness

Mary’s teammates call her the TikTok Queen and it’s easy to understand why.

Alongside team-mate Millie Bright, she’s not afraid to show off her dance moves and also posts training clips.

She has more than 750,000 followers on the platform.

Yet it could have been all so differently for Mary, who has a degree in information management and business studies. 

Three years ago the Man United goalie was ready to quit the beautiful game after being left out of the England squad.

She told how she collapsed to her kitchen floor and cried before considering retirement, then accepting she might never make the national team.

“I got to a point where I felt I had sort of reached my limits,” she said. 

“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.”

Mary is riding the crest of a wave after also winning Best Fifa Goalkeeper, the Super League Golden Glove, the World Cup Golden Glove and England Player of the Year. She also came fifth in the Ballon d’Or.

Mary had already faced a tough ride at a time when women’s football was mainly ridiculed by men.

Aged 17 and playing for Doncaster, Mary admitted “there was no real money in the game back then.”

Yet to take driving lessons, she relied on other players to help take her to matches and took on two coaching roles as well as a job in a local cinema, a kids’ toy shop and telesales work at her dad’s firm to contribute to petrol money.

She said: “There was a girl who even drove from Southampton up to Doncaster and used to pick me up on the way. It is mad how the game has changed since then.”

Doors opened

Alex Greenwood has a deal with Visa

Twitter/@Mdawg1bright

Millie Bright advertised Walkers crisps

More people than ever are tuning in to watch the women’s game, with an audience of 21.2 million watching the BBC’s World Cup coverage this year.

This has attracted mass sponsorship and brand deals for players.

One agent told The Athletic how the team’s “feet didn’t touch the ground for months.”

They continued: “We had so many requests from so many different areas — areas that previously we’d been trying to push doors down in.

“Two days after the final, we booked in a day with our players where we had to sit down with pages and pages of requests. We had loads of big brands, including some that hadn’t done much work in women’s football, wanting to work with them.”

Presenter Alex Scott is arguably the most famous Lioness and is said to be as worth as much as £4million.

England captain Leah Williamson is reportedly also worth £4million after striking deals with Italian fashion house Gucci, Nike and Pepsi.

Arsenal’s Alessia Russo, 24, who has deals with Adidas, Gucci, PlaySation and Beats by Dre, and graced the cover of Women’s Health, is said to be on a £100,000-a-year salary and is reportedly the first British star to make £1million in a year.

Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood, 30, has a contract with sports brand Under Armour – estimated to be worth £250,000 – as well as jewellery brand Abott Lyon, for whom she designed football-themed bracelets and necklaces. She also champions Garmin watches.

Fashion idols and luxury brands

The Lionesses got MBE’s

Leah Williamson is a fashion queen

Chelsea forward Lauren James is just 22 but already has deals with Sure, Google Pixel and Nike.

Stable mate Millie Bright, 30, is an ambassador for Walkers crisps and Pepsi while Chloe Kelly, who stripped to her bra in a victory celebration at the Euros, starred in a Calvin Klein underwear campaign. Range Rover is reputed to have tried to tie Chloe into a £1.5m deal.

Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone, 23, is the face of Nike’s Phantom GX football boots and has deals with PlayStation and McDonald’s.

Right-back Lucy Bronze has paired with Cupra cars, Visa, EE and Klarna.

Last year’s Sports Personality of the Year winner, Arsenal player Beth Mead has deals with Budweiser and McDonald’s and has been spotted wearing Victoria Beckham clothes. 

It is not known how much her endorsements are now worth but Beth was valued at £410,000 before winning the title.

‘Clean and healthy’

Alex Scott leads the big earners

Alex Greenwood strikes a pose

Sean O’Meara says England’s female heroines will continue to attract big money as the game grows in popularity too.

He said: “Men’s football still has more commercial clout but the women are catching up and Mary stands out as one of the players with a cult following.

“Women’s football is attractive to companies because it’s viewed as ‘clean’ and healthy.

“Male footballers are cleaner than they used to be and, on the whole, are undergoing a renaissance in terms of perception and what it means to be a player.

“There are a lot of players who are challenging the play hard, drink hard culture from the 90’s, but overall the women’s game is seen as a safer, sometimes more attractive, bet.” More