Mary Earps Wins BBC SPOTY 2023

Mary Earps adds another individual award to her trophy cabinet – the BBC SPOTY (Sports Personality of the Year) award.

Lioness goalkeeping hero Mary Earps has had a career journey with more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. Once left in the national team wilderness, she is now England’s undisputed no. 1 and has collected a series of individual awards recognising her contribution to women’s football over the last few seasons.

Earps became a national hero when she helped the Lionesses to a historic Euros 2022 win on home soil. Leading up to the tournament, Earps had experienced some testing times. She alluded to the darker moments in her acceptance speech when she won the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper award. She thanked her loved ones for picking her up from the kitchen floor and used her speech to remind people who are in a dark place that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Her openness about this period in her life will no doubt help many fans who look up to her for inspiration.

Earps Leads Manchester United to Champions League Football

In the lead up to the Women’s World Cup, Earps secured the Women’s Super League Golden Glove. She was integral in Manchester United’s title charge, pushing Chelsea all the way to the final day of the season and securing Champions League football for the first time in United’s history.

Going into the WWC in top form, Earps made some standout saves that ensured England progressed through to the final stages. While England struggled to hit top gear in several matches, Earps was ever-reliable in goal.

Although England fell just short in the World Cup final against Spain, Earps saved a Jenni Hermoso penalty to keep England in the match at a crucial point. Spain won the Women’s World Cup with a 1-0 win in Australia and Earps had to settle for the consolation prize of winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup Golden Glove.

Earps Linked to Arsenal Transfer

Nottingham-born Earps has continuously performed heroics in goal, which has led to her being linked with a number of clubs. Arsenal submitted an offer for Earps in the summer and with her contract running out at the end of the 2023/24 season, United may be tempted to sell her in the winter transfer window to avoid losing her for nothing. A repeat of the Alessia Russo transfer would not look great for the club.

Mary Earps is the second Lioness in succession to win the BBC SPOTY. Beth Mead was the SPOTY winner 2022 and this level of recognition shows just how far women’s football has progressed in such a short period. In England, the likes of Beth Mead and Mary Earps are the women’s football role models that the older generation never had.

Mary Earps Wins BBC SPOTY

As far as big personalities go, Mary Earps has one of the biggest and the BBC SPOTY 2023 award is a fitting tribute to a player who has done so much for the game, both on and off the pitch.