Erica Meg Parkinson: Why teenagers in England use mental health coaches

Parkinson was born in Singapore to an English father and a Japanese mother, and is eligible to represent both countries as well as Portugal, where he spent most of his playing career.

He has been with Leixoes since the age of 10 and had some involvement with Benfica before joining Valadares Gaia’s first team in the 2023-24 season.

Since the age of 12, Parkinson has been working with a mental health coach, to develop skills to handle stress and expectations, and to improve his leadership, decision-making and awareness.

He is associated with Gauging Performance founder Martin Fair, who has worked with a number of elite athletes, including the New Zealand men’s rugby team and former England cricketer Ashley Giles.

Parkinson’s father contacted Richard Fair and quickly began working with Erica and her brother Dennis.

“I knew right away that Erica has a determination that not everyone has,” Fearon told BBC Sport.

“I said to Erica: ‘What do you want to do?’ And he said: ‘I want to play football for England.’ That’s how it all started.

“It is comparatively rare that anyone seeks training in the young mind. Do they need it? There will not be a person who could not benefit from it.

“In football especially, it’s seen as a problem that needs fixing rather than a skill that needs developing.”

Parkinson and Fearon have worked together for more than five years, meeting in person at the end of each season and meeting regularly over Zoom.

In a pre-season session ahead of the 2025-26 campaign – which BBC Sport has seen summary notes – Parkinson focused on raising expectations and developing more clarity on his role on the pitch.

On her flight to her first senior Lionesses camp in March, Parkinson wrote down a list of the pressures and emotions she might be feeling — a common process with Fearon.

They reflected on how he might react to challenges, what his ambitions were in those moments, and how he might prepare.

The list includes: