As was revealed a few months ago, Nottingham Express Transit have honoured Mary Earps with a tram naming. Mary Earps is the England goalkeeper who also plays for Manchester United and was born in West Bridgford and has received the honour for her performances during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 (which England won) and the FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this week (which England did not win).
The tram which has been chosen to receive her name is 222. This had previously been designated as the NET Community Hero Tram and had been carrying the joint name Bill Chambers / Benjamin Rosser – The Pythian Club.
Mary Earps unveiled her own name on the side of the tram at a special ceremony held at Wilkinson Street Depot. She was joined by junior players from her grassroots team, the West Bridgford Colts, at the ceremony.
Mary said: “I can’t quite believe it. It’s not every day you get a tram named after you and it’s lovely to be back home in Nottingham to unveil it. It’s also great to meet some of the up-and-coming young West Bridgford Colts players which is where it all began for me. I’ll be sure to take a trip back to Nottingham soon and hopefully when I come back, I’ll be able to hop around on my own tram.”
Alison Sweeney, Head of Marketing at NET, said: “Naming our trams after local heroes and notable people, such as Mary, serves as a great way to honour the successes of those from our city who are flying the flag for excellence. In Mary’s case, her significant contribution to football, especially in the women’s game, is certainly something to be celebrated, and following calls from many locals to rename a tram in her honour, we thought it was a fantastic idea.
“The trams are an integral part of Nottingham life and the renaming of our trams is really important to us and the wider city. Over the years, we’ve honoured a range of noteworthy people who hail from our great city, including sportspeople, writers and advocates, many of which, like Mary, have been suggestions by locals.
“We recognise the need for the community to continue to get to have their say in what the trams will be named. As such, to ensure our trams remain representative of all the local heroes in the area, we’re currently reviewing our tram renaming process and will reveal more information about our plans over the coming months.”