Lionesses star opens 'vital' all-weather pitch

Former Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps said she hopes a new all-weather sports pitch in Nottinghamshire will create opportunities for women and girls.

The Mary Earps Pitch at Calverton Miners Welfare FC, which was funded by the Football Foundation, was officially unveiled in front of crowds of supporters and players.

The Paris St-Germain player said female sports had not been a priority in the past and the facility would help change that and allow more people to access the skills and benefits sport creates.

It will also be used by the Arnold Eagles and officials from both clubs said the pitch was a huge boost, especially after weeks of rain, during which grass areas had become unusable.

The pitch is one of 35 set to open across the country as part of the Lionesses Futures Fund – a £30m initiative to deliver what are known as 3G artificial 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.

Earps helped the Lionesses lift the 2022 UEFA Women's EUROs trophy and reach the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Final.

She said the enthusiasm of the welcome had made it a special occasion.

"It's super surreal. It has been an incredible turnout," she said.

"I'm so grateful and I'm so proud my family is here to see it, it means a great deal to them to be able to do something in my home town."

She added: "It's incredible that this has got funding, to create that priority and show how important women's football and women's sport is.

"It hasn't been a priority for a long time and that has held back opportunities, so hopefully this will allow so many more young people to play football, and young girls especially."

Calverton club secretary Viv Corcoran said: "It was wonderful and one of our inclusive team scored a goal past Mary, which made their day.

"The pitch is vital because it will allow us to create more teams, because we got to the stage where logistically we couldn't recruit more players because we had nowhere to put them.

"Over the past few weeks we have lost the use of so many grass pitches because of the weather - the impact of this is vast, financially and socially.

"When the teams can't play, people can't get together and the children are affected physically and mentally because they are stuck indoors."

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