Erica Meg Parkinson
English footballer (born 2008)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erica Meg Parkinson (born 18 April 2008), also known just as Erica Meg, is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Born in Singapore, she is an England youth international. She began her professional career with Portuguese club Valadares Gaia at age 15 in 2023.
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Parkinson with the North Carolina Courage in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Erica Meg Parkinson | ||
| Date of birth | 18 April 2008 | ||
| Place of birth | Singapore | ||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| JSSL Singapore | |||
| FC Foz | |||
| 2020–2023 | Leixões | ||
| 2023–2024 | Valadares Gaia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023 | Leixões | 0 | (0) |
| 2023–2026 | Valadares Gaia | 52 | (8) |
| 2026– | North Carolina Courage | 11 | (0) |
| 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 13 September 2026 | |||
Early life
Parkinson was born on 18 April 2008 in Singapore to a Japanese mother and English father.[1] She attended an international school and speaks four languages.[2] While in Singapore, she played for JSSL Singapore.[3] She moved to Portugal in 2018 with her family after her brother, Denis Parkinson, was scouted to play in the academy at Porto.[4]
Parkinson began her career in 2018 in the seven-a-side U-11 team at FC Foz.[citation needed] She then joined their main academy team during the 2019–20 season, spending the season with the U-13 team.[citation needed]
In 2020, she moved to Leixões and began with the U-13 team before moving to the U-15 team in 2021.[1] 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.[citation needed] She also represented Leixões at U-16 level.[5]
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,[citation needed] leaving at the age of 15 in May 2023.[6] While playing for Leixões, Parkinson was also invited to play for Benfica on several occasions.[7]
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.[citation needed] On 2 February 2024, she scored her first league goal in the 2–0 victory against FC Famalicão.[citation needed]
Parkinson was permanently moved up to the senior squad on 3 May 2024 at the age of 16.[8] 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.[9][10]
North Carolina Courage
On 1 July 2026, Parkinson joined National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club North Carolina Courage, signing a four-year contract with the option for an additional year.[11] She made her NWSL debut on 18 July, coming on as a halftime substitute for Felicitas Rauch in a 3–0 away loss to Bay FC.[12]
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.[1]
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.[13] 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.[14][15] She made her U-23 debut at the age of 17.[16]
In March 2026, still aged 17, she received her first call-up to the England senior squad ahead of 2027 World Cup qualifiers against Spain and Iceland.[17]
Parkinson was called up to represent England's under-20 national team at the 2026 U-20 World Cup, but withdrew on the eve of the competition to remain with the North Carolina Courage.[18]
Career statistics
- As of match played 3 April 2026[19]
| 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[19] | Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino | 17 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 4 | |
| 2025–26[19] | Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 5 | |
| Career total | 49 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 73 | 10 | ||
Honours
Valadares Gaia
- Taça AF Porto: 2024–25; 2025–26
Individual
- SJPF (players' union) Campeonato Nacional Feminino Best Young Player: 2024–25
- Record Campeonato Nacional Feminino Revelation of the Year: 2025–26[20]
