EUROs-winning Lioness Mary Earps opens new pitch named in her honour

Paris Saint Germain FC goalkeeper, Mary Earps, has opened a new pitch in her home county of Nottinghamshire, in honour of the part she played in the Lionesses lifting the 2022 UEFA Women’s EUROs trophy and reaching the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final.

Thanks to a £660k grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, The Mary Earps Pitch will provide a safe, welcoming and high quality place to play for the local community in Calverton.  

Inspired by the Lionesses triumphant successes, the number of girls participating in football has more than doubled from 1.2 million in the 2020/21 season to 2.7 million in 2024/25.  

This pitch is one of 35 set to open across the country thanks to the Lionesses Futures Fund – a £30 million cash injection from the Government and The FA to deliver state-of-the-art 3G pitches. Like all Lionesses Futures Fund sites, the new pitch at Calverton Miners Welfare FC will prioritise access for women and girls through reserved peak-time slots, women and girls-only evenings and priority booking.

Calverton Miners were chosen as the home for this project because of their excellent track record at providing opportunities for women and girls to play, which has earned them the County Charter Standard Community Club Award four times. This project adds to the £572k the Club has previously received from the Football Foundation over the last 25 years. This investment delivered changing rooms, grass pitches and goalposts that are still used alongside The Mary Earps Pitch by the Club’s 25 grassroots teams.

To honour the Lionesses’ legacy and inspire the next generation, the Foundation is naming new facilities like the ones at Calverton Miners after each of the Lionesses from the past three international tournaments, including the second EUROs victory earlier this year.  

To make existing facilities more inclusive, the Football Foundation has also recently announced a new Lionesses HERe to Play Fund, through which grants of up to £25k are available for items such as:

• Better lighting
• Clearer signage
• Sanitary bins
• Conversion of open showers to cubicle showers
• Private spaces for baby change and breastfeeding
• Officials’ changing spaces
• Changing room improvements 

Now, thanks to this pitch, and funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, the next generation of women and girls in this area will have an entirely different experience

Mary Earps said:

“It’s an honour to have a pitch named after me right here in my hometown.

“When I was growing up, girls where I lived didn’t really play football. I would train with my brother’s team, but I wasn’t allowed to play for them in matches.  

“Now, thanks to this pitch, and funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, the next generation of women and girls in this area will have an entirely different experience – one where they feel welcome and encouraged to play football and fall in love with the game just like I did. That’s a huge amount of progress which I’m so proud to be a part of.”

John Paul Considine, Director at the Football Foundation:

“The Lionesses have been an inspiration to thousands of women and girls across the country, both on and off the pitch. But without a great place to play, the growth we’ve seen in demand for the game won’t be translated into a meaningful growth in women and girls being able to play.

“The Mary Earps Pitch not only honours a fantastic player, but provides a safe and welcoming facility for women and girls to play, whether they’re lacing up their boots for the first time or playing week in, week out.

“Thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government, the Football Foundation is delivering facilities like this across the country to turbocharge the women’s game from the roots up.” 
 

Joining Mary for the opening were representatives from a wide range of the community who have been using the new pitch including Calverton Miners Welfare FC, PL Kicks, Wild Cats, Comets and walking football.

Viv Corcoran, Calverton Miners Welfare FC said:

"Securing the funding from the Football Foundation for our floodlit 3G pitch is an outstanding achievement for Calverton. This investment isn’t just about upgrading facilities — it’s about opening doors to positive pathways for our future footballers.

"The Mary Earps Pitch gives our young people — in particular our growing girls’, ladies’ and inclusive teams — a safe, reliable, year‑round surface where they can train, compete, and thrive.

"It has created new opportunities for families, schools, grassroots clubs, and the wider community to come together. Our 3G will strengthen local sport, protect participation during the worst weather conditions, support healthier lifestyles, and provide a lasting legacy that Calverton can be proud of for generations." 

For more information on the Football Foundation’s commitment to women’s and girls’ football, click the button below.