Nikita Parris
(Picture: The FA via Getty Images)England football star Nikita Parris’s first coach has told how he was blown away by the “force of nature” when he saw her play as an eight-year-old girl.
The Arsenal striker, 28, is aiming to help the Lionesses win the trophy on home soil as the team prepare for their opening game against Austria at Old Trafford tonight.
Originally from Liverpool, Parris played professionally for Everton, Olympique Lyonnaise and Manchester City before being signed up by Arsenal.
But the launchpad was Kingsley United in Toxteth, after a neighbour saw her playing in her front garden around the age of eight and was so impressed he tipped off the local club.
Parris went to training and started playing in a mixed team where she immediately stood out.
Earl Jenkins, who was Parris’s first coach, said he is not surprised she went on to become a lynchpin of the England side, having gained 65 senior caps with 15 goals for the national team.
He told the Standard: “When Nikita turned up she was a force of nature. She reminded me of Messi, she could dribble past a whole team no problem. She was in a team with boys and was easily one of the best players.”
After the age of 11 there was no league for mixed teams so Parris took it upon herself to create Kingsley United girls’ teams.
Mr Jenkins said: “She went out to scout for players and made up a team mainly of her friends and family. She was an amazing scout and created a team which won just about everything.
“She was the star but was always a team player and would play in any position. Her family are very sporty, it was in her blood. By the time she was in her teens she was as good as the best boys and we had some talented teenagers at the club.”
Mr Jenkins, 49, head of year at St Patrick’s Primary School in Liverpool, spoke of his immense pride at his former player’s achievements.
In 2019, Parris was voted the Football Writers’ Association Women’s Player of the Year. The forward helped Manchester City win two FA Cups in 2017 and 2019, two Continental Cups, a league title and two Champions League semi-finals.
Mr Jenkins continued: “I’m not surprised. She was so driven and so talented. When she went to play France I joked with her that she should have paid more attention in French class. I use that as an example to students and players — you never know what’s going to happen in your life so study hard in every subject.”
He said the player regularly returns to her grassroots club but does not like a fanfare. Her older sister Natasha Jonas, 38, holds a world championship boxing belt. She also has a twin sister, Kelsey, and older brothers Kyle and Delroy.
“The best compliment I can pay is that she is the same Nikita she was when she was a child,” Mr Jenkins said. “She came back to see the girls recently but did it without making a fuss. I told her we would have made sure she was given a big welcome and she just said ‘that’s why I didn’t tell anyone’.
Referring to an incident in which Parris pranked former England coach Phil Neville by putting salt rather than sugar in his tea, Mr Jenkins said: “That’s just her, she was always pranking people, always up for a laugh.”
The coach added: “If it comes down to penalties she will score, I’m a million per cent sure. She has the character and the skill. She is a hero and a role model.”
The squad is aiming to go one better and make it to the final after losing in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup to the United States.
