Born in Singapore to an English father and Japanese mother, Parkinson is eligible to play for England, Japan, and Portugal—the country where she has spent most of her career.
She joined Leixões at age 10, had some involvement with Benfica, and broke into Valadares Gaia’s first team in the 2023–24 season.
Since she was 12, Parkinson has worked with a mindset coach to handle pressure and expectations off the field and to sharpen leadership, decision-making, and awareness on it.
She linked up with Martin Fairn, founder of Gazing Performance, whose clients include the New Zealand men’s rugby team and former England cricketer Ashley Giles. Fairn was contacted by her father, Richard, and soon began working with both Erica and her brother, Dennis.
Fairn says he immediately noticed Parkinson’s uncommon drive. When asked about her goal, she told him she wanted to play for England—setting their work in motion. He believes mindset training benefits everyone, and that in football it’s too often treated as a fix for problems rather than a skill to develop.
Parkinson and Fairn have collaborated for more than five years, meeting in person after each season and regularly on Zoom. In a pre-season session before the 2025–26 campaign—summarized in notes seen by BBC Sport—they focused on managing heightened expectations and clarifying her on-field role.
On the flight to her first senior Lionesses camp in March, Parkinson wrote down the pressures and emotions she anticipated—a routine she often follows with Fairn. Together, they explored how she might respond, what she wanted to achieve in those moments, and how to prepare.
Her list included: – Pride in the call-up – Anticipation of joining a star-studded camp – Higher training intensity – Standards and behavior off the pitch – Media attention and added scrutiny – Delivering in training sessions