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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

Fifteen players from the Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel cricket team formed the Aston Villa Football Club in the 1870s.

Aston Villa are owned by V Sports, a joint venture between billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wesley Edens. Atairos, an investment company based in the UK, became a minority partner of V Sports in April 2024.

Aston Villa play all their home games at the Villa Park since 1897.

Villa Park has a capacity of over 42,000 and has hosted more FA Cup semi-final games than any other stadium in history.

Aston Villa have won 22 titles throughout their history, including seven English top-flight titles, one European Cup (now known as the Champions League), and seven FA Cups.

Aston Villa have won seven top-flight titles, but have failed to clinch a league trophy in the Premier League era. They last won the first division in the 1980-81 season.

Former Scottish left-back Charlie Aitken has made the most appearances for Aston Villa, featuring in 660 games for the club from 1961 to 1975.

One of the greatest players to ever play for Aston Villa, Billy Walker is the club's record goalscorer of all-time with 244 goals to his name.

Jack Grealish, Dwight Yorke, Emiliano Martinez, Gordon Cowans, and Gareth Barry are among the most respectable players in Aston Villa history, with the club also luring legends like Peter Schmeichel and Paul McGrath.

Steven Gerrard, Steve Bruce, Gerard Houllier and Unai Emery are among the big names to have led Aston Villa during its illustrious history.

Aston Villa are famously known as The Villans. The name 'Villa' is derived from the Villa Cross Wesleyan Church, whose former cricket club passed on the name to the club.