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Erica Parkinson NXGN GFX

Why Wiegman has made teen Parkinson her youngest-ever call-up

When England's Under-23s took on Norway back in November, there was no shortage of top talent on show. Be it Ruby Mace or Maisie Symonds, who have both been involved in Sarina Wiegman's senior team; Gracie Prior, a starter in seven of the first nine games of the season for Women's Super League leaders Manchester City; or Martine Fenger on the opposite side, the teenage forward who made her Barcelona debut earlier that month. And yet it was 17-year-old Erica Parkinson, a player some five years younger than some of those involved, who stood out most.

Erica Parkinson England Women 2025

Why Parkinson has been given first Lionesses call-up aged 17

England's squad announcement on Tuesday morning brought with it a real surprise, as Erica Parkinson received her first senior call-up at the age of 17 ahead of World Cup qualifiers with Iceland and, crucially, world champions Spain. Parkinson will be a new name to many Lionesses fans and Sarina Wiegman has now explained why she chose to hand the teenager an invite that left her "speechless".

England women's wonderkids NXGN GFX

NXGN 2026: Top 10 English wonderkids in women's football

Two England prospects have made the Women's NXGN 2026 list, but that is just scratching the surface when it comes to the talent coming through in one of the best and most successful nations in women's football. Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses have won back-to-back European Championship trophies and reached the final of the most recent World Cup, and it looks like they are set up for future success with the quality coming through the pipeline.

Frequently asked questions

A group of workers from the Woolwich Arsenal Armanent Factory, who called themselves Dial Square, formed a football team in 1886. They would later rename themselves to Royal Arsenal in the same year. In 1893, the club was renamed to Woolwich Arsenal, before finally being named just Arsenal in 1919, six years after they moved to Highbury.

American billionaire Enos Stanley Kroenke is the owner of Arsenal, purchasing the club via Arsenal Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE).

The Emirates Stadium is the name of Arsenal's stadium. It has been the team's home ground since 2006, replacing Highbury, which served as Arsenal's home venue from 1913.

The Emirates Stadium has a capacity of 60,704 and is among the UK's biggest football venues.

Arsenal have won 48 trophies till date, including 13 league titles and a record 14 FA Cups.

Arsenal have 13 English top flight titles to their name, making them the third-most successful team behind Man Utd and Liverpool. They, however, won their last title over two decades ago.

London-born Irish defender David O'Leary sits at the top of the list for most Arsenal appearances in history. O'Leary spent 18 years at the club and made 722 appearances in all competitions, ahead of Tony Adams, George Armstrong, and Lee Dixon.

Thierry Henry is Arsenal's leading goalscorer of all-time with 228 goals in 377 games. No other Arsenal player has scored over 200 goals for the club, with Ian Wright sitting in second place (185 goals in 288 games).

Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Dennis Bergkamp, Mesut Ozil, Robert Pires, and Robin van Persie are among the popular footballing names to have played for Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery, George Graham, and Herbert Chapman are among the biggest names to have been in charge of Arsenal throughout their notable history.

Arsenal have a pretty unique nickname, called The Gunners. This nickname is a reference to the club's origins in the late 19th century, when a group of workers from the Royal Arsenal armanent factory in Woolwich formed the club. That's also the reason why the Arsenal badge includes a cannon.