Erica Meg Parkinson was born in Singapore to an English father and a Japanese mother, making her eligible for England, Japan and Portugal. She joined Leixoes at 10, had a brief spell with Benfica and broke into Valadares Gaia’s first team in the 2023‑24 season.

Since age 12, Erica has worked with mindset coach Martin Fairn, founder of Gazing Performance, who has also coached the New Zealand rugby team and former England cricketer Ashley Giles. The partnership began when her father, Richard, approached Fairn, and they have met each season and via Zoom for over 5 years.

In a pre‑season 2025‑26 session, Erica focused on raised expectations, clarifying her role and writing a list of pressures before her first senior Lionesses camp. Topics ranged from the honour of a call‑up to media scrutiny, training intensity and on‑pitch performance.

She speaks four languages, has almost 50 caps for England youth, joined North Carolina Courage, and aims to become a regular under Wiegman. Fairn notes her determination, ability to “zoom out” and mental tools that match her talent.