Erica Parkinson

Erica Parkinson
Personal information
Full name Erica Meg Parkinson
Date of birth (2008-04-18) 18 April 2008
Place of birth Singapore
Height 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Valadares Gaia
Number 7
Youth career
2018–2020 FC Foz
2020–2023 Leixões
2023–2024 Valadares Gaia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023 Leixões 0 (0)
2023– Valadares Gaia 42 (6)
International career
England U16 5 (0)
2023–2024 England U17 22 (3)
2025– England U19 14 (6)
2025– England U23 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:40, 4 March 2026 (UTC)

Erica Meg Parkinson (born 18 April 2008), also known just as Erica Meg, is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino club Valadares Gaia. Born in Singapore, she is an England youth international.[1][2]

Early life

Erica Meg Parkinson was born on 18 April 2008 in Singapore to a Japanese mother and English father.[3] She attended an international school and speaks four languages.[4] She moved to Portugal in 2018 with her family after her brother, Denis Parkinson, was scouted to play in the academy at Porto.[5]

Youth career

FC Foz

Parkinson began her career in 2018 in the seven-a-side U-11 team at FC Foz. She then joined their main academy team during the 2019–20 season, spending the season with the U-13 team.

Leixões

In 2020, she moved to Leixões and began with the U-13 team before moving to the U-15 team in 2021.[3] During the 2022–23 II Divisão Sub-15 season, she made eleven appearances and scored twice, scoring both during the 9–0 victory against Macedo de Cavaleiros U15 on 4 June 2023. She also represented Leixões at U-16 level.[1]

Also in 2022–23, Parkinson was also associated with the first team in the Campeonato Nacional II Divisão Feminino. She was given shirt number 20 in early 2023 at the age of 14 but did not play a single senior match for the club, leaving at the age of 15 in May 2023.[2] While playing for Leixões, Parkinson was also invited to play for Benfica on several occasions.[6]

Club career

Valadares Gaia

Parkinson joined Valadares Gaia in July 2023 and made her debut for the senior team at the age of 15 as an 85th-minute substitute during the 3–0 victory against Damaiense in the Taça de Portugal on 3 August 2023. Her league debut came in the 2–0 loss against Braga on 17 August 2023 and she scored on her first start for the club during the 2–2 draw (later lost on penalties) against Braga in the Taça da Liga on 5 October 2023. On 2 February 2024, she scored her first league goal in the 2–0 victory against FC Famalicão.

Parkinson was permanently moved up to the senior squad on 3 May 2024 at the age of 16.[7] She then reached the 2024–25 Taça da Liga semi-finals and won the 2024–25 AF Porto Taça. She was voted the best young player in the 2024-2025 league season by members of the Portuguese football players' union.[8][9]

International career

Parkinson is eligible to play for Japan, Singapore, Portugal and England, but chose England as a youth player because it was the first country to invite her to a national training centre.[3]

Parkinson has made five appearances for England's U-16 side. With England U-17, she played at the 2024 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship and 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[10] In the same year, she was selected for the U-19 squad, playing at the European Championships, before receiving a call-up for the U-23 squad in 2025.[11][12] She made her U-23 debut at the age of 17.[13]

Career statistics

As of match played 22 February 2026[14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga AF Porto Taça Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Leixões 2022–23 Campeonato Nacional II Divisão Feminino 0 0 — — — 0 0
Valadares Gaia 2023–24 Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino 17 0 2 0 4 1 0 0 23 1
2024–25[14] Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino 17 3 5 1 3 0 2 0 27 4
2025–26[14] Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino 12 3 1 0 4 1 1 0 18 4
Career total 46 6 8 1 11 2 3 0 68 9

Honours

Valadares Gaia

  • AF Porto Taça: 2024–25

References

  1. ^ a b "Erica Parkinson corre atrás do sonho no Leixões SC e na seleção inglesa - AFPorto". February 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Erica Parkinson: filha de pai inglês e mãe japonesa e a jogar no Valadares com 15 anos". O Jogo. March 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Why multilingual rising star Parkinson picked England". BBC Sport. 27 November 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  4. ^ "England teenager Erica Meg Parkinson on multi-cultural upbringing". The News Singapore. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Get to know WU23s star Erica Meg Parkinson". England Football. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Erica Parkinson on performing under pressure – Gazing.com". Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. ^ "Erica Parkinson assina contrato profissional com o Valadares aos 16 anos". Record.
  8. ^ Casteleiro, Pedro (15 May 2025). "Melhor jovem jogadora da Liga BPI 2024/25 tem apenas 17 anos" [Best young player in the Liga BPI 2024/25 is just 17 years old]. A Bola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Erica Meg eleita melhor jovem jogadora da Liga BPI" [Erica Meg voted best young player in BPI Liga]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 May 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  10. ^ Association, The Football. "Erica Parkinson's Women's Under-17s World Cup diary". Englandfootball.com.
  11. ^ "Parkinson ready to make England U23s bow". Girls on the Ball. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  12. ^ Lloyd-Hughes, Flo (27 November 2025). "Meet Erica Meg Parkinson: The rapid rise of England's multilingual new talent". The Cutback. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  13. ^ Sanders, Emma (27 November 2025). "'We depend on that DNA' - the next generation of Lionesses". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  14. ^ a b c Erica Parkinson at Soccerway
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