England’s teenage midfielder Erica Meg Parkinson: How a mindset coach is shaping her rise

When Sarina Wiegman called 17‑year‑old Erica Meg Parkinson into the senior Lionesses squad back in March, few could have guessed the story behind the name on the team sheet. The teenager, born in Singapore to an English dad and a Japanese mum, had been plying her trade in Portugal, only recently promoted to England’s Under‑23s.

Fast‑forward to July, and you’ll find her stepping onto the pitch for North Carolina Courage, the NWSL side that signed her on a three‑year deal. In her debut, she slotted on at half‑time against Bay FC – a 3‑0 loss, yes, but a solid first taste of senior club football abroad.

Behind the flashes of talent is, frankly, a lot of work that most fans never see. Since she was 12, Erica has been meeting regularly with mindset coach Martin Fairn, founder of Gazing Performance. Fairn, whose résumé includes New Zealand’s rugby giants and ex‑England cricketer Ashley Giles, was first approached by Erica’s father, Richard, who wanted a mental edge for his daughter and son.

“I knew straight away that Erica had a determination not everybody has,” Fairn recalls. “When I asked what she wanted, she said, ‘I’d like to play football for England.’ That’s how it all kicked off.”

The partnership has now stretched over five years. They meet in person at the end of each season, then keep the conversation alive via Zoom. Sessions aren’t about fancy psychology jargon – they’re practical, often as simple as listing the pressures Erica expects to feel on a flight to her first senior England camp and brainstorming how she’d respond.

That list read a bit like a teenager’s diary, but with a purpose:

• The honour of being called up
• Walking into a camp full of stars
• Higher‑intensity training
• Media attention and scrutiny
• Performing in practice
• Feeling like she belongs

Erica’s background is a patchwork of cultures that shapes her game. She can speak Portuguese, French, Japanese and English, trained with boys in Portugal, and broke into Valadares Gaia’s senior side at just 15. She’s already collected close to 50 caps across England’s youth teams.

What sets her apart, Fairn says, is the habit of “zooming out”. She can step back, see where she’s improved, spot gaps, and treat mistakes as data rather than disaster. “Her own expectations are the biggest source of pressure,” he notes, “but that’s also her strength – she wants to get better.”

Still, the road to a regular spot in Wiegman’s squad is steep. Fairn works with Erica on clarity of role, handling the spotlight, and remembering that perfection is a myth. “She’s built confidence to feel comfortable at the level she’s at,” he says. “When you watch her, she looks like she belongs.”

So whether she’s stepping onto a training ground in England, a locker room in North Carolina, or a Zoom call with her coach, Erica Meg Parkinson is proving that talent plus a trained mind can be a formidable combo. And at just 17, the journey is only just beginning.