Mary Earps helps search for ‘next Sarina Wiegman’ as PSG star swaps Paris for Barnet.

Mary Earps of Paris Saint-Germain moved to Barnet to inspire the next generation of female coaching potential as International Women’s Day approaches on March 8.

Mary Earps aims to find ‘the next Sarina Wiegman’ with an innovative coaching curriculum marking its one anniversary. PSG star Earps moved to Barnet to encourage the next generation of female coaches, where she met Shahla Khaliqiar, the head coach of three teams and an assistant coach at Brentford FC’s Community Sports Trust. Lionesses shot-stopper Earps, who won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2023, shared advice for tailoring her classes to help goalkeepers and discussed the need of expanding coaching options for women.
“It’s been a lot of fun meeting Shahla, learning about her coaching journey, and seeing the positive impact she’s already having on this group of young women,” Earps said. “It’s critical that we run courses like this to help break down entry barriers and motivate more women like Shahla to pursue careers in football coaching. You never know; we might be seeing the next Sarina Wiegman. Kaliqiar is a recipient of the Chase football coaching initiative, which offers completely paid grassroots and professional coaching bursaries to those in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales who cannot afford to attend.

More than half of those questioned in a recent YouGov survey said they’d be more likely to progress their coaching journey if there were more role models from diverse backgrounds while existing coaches also believe coaching can be the gateway to transferable skills leading to future employment. Three in four (75%) say their qualification has helped them develop key life skills and 62% believe it has made them more employable. Khaliqiar said: “The session has been absolutely incredible.
“Mary is an incredible role model for women across the country, and she has given me a completely new perspective on how to coach goalkeepers. “On top of this incredible experience, the Chase football coaching programme has been a real game changer and given me the platform, confidence and inspiration I needed to progress my career so I’m really excited for the future.” Forty-nine percent of adults in the lowest socioeconomic groups have not gotten any skill training since leaving school, which could be due to the fact that development resources are not always available to those in greatest need.

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