Ex-England women's star whose daughters 'didn't know she played football' celebrated

Growing up, Morag ‘Maggie’ Pearce’s daughters did not even realise their mother had played football, but the trailblazing icon has plenty of stories to tell.

With women’s football rapidly growing in visibility, the pioneering side Pearce was part of in 1972 received their England caps in front of a sold-out Wembley in 2022.

This summer, White Stuff are refocusing the limelight on the foremothers of women’s football in their latest heartfelt campaign as they celebrate the women who paved the way.

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Southampton -born Pearce is one such figure, having played right-back for Southampton Women F.C. and England, winning five FA Cups during her career, though being in the spotlight has not always come naturally.

“It’s great for us to be recognised by White Stuff and having that media attention. I get quite surprised sometimes because I’m not one to go walking around [telling everyone],” she said.

“My daughters didn’t even realise [I played for England] for a little while because it was one of those things I packed up in the loft.

“I played football, I did that, had the family, retired and whacked it all up in the loft. But as time has gone on, it’s a great feeling to know that we were part of that and being recognised for it.”

And while it took time for her daughters to discover her pioneering ways, football has always been about family for Pearce. Her younger sister, Heather Kirkland, played alongside Pearce at Southampton and claimed four FA Cup winners medals of her own.

“She was following in my footsteps. She came into Southampton later on but the sister side of things has always been great,” reflected Pearce.

“It had been said that we couldn’t have two sisters playing together. But it was quite nice because at one stage, she was on the left side and I was on the right side. It was a miracle that we did play together.

“Our family always supported us and it was always nice going home to discover we had won and our brothers hadn’t. We always had that competitive edge in the family.”

Pearce’s talent, and that competitive edge, carried her all the way to international level as she debuted for England at just 15 years old. She would go on to play 41 times for her country, including at the first-ever European Championships in 1984 when England reached the final, narrowly losing to Sweden on penalties after a two-legged final.

Her contribution paved the way for the conditions and support England’s women now benefit from at European Championships of their own.

“I am proud to know that we were part of that journey for them, we started it and the legacy of it all. It’s great to see them having all that media around them,” said Pearce.

“We didn’t have anything like that and we made our own camaraderie. We didn’t have that time together, we were lucky if we got a weekend together. It would just be back to family life and back to your jobs. But today it is great to see everything going on for them.”

On a mission to champion independent spirits, White Stuff is known for putting real people of all ages and backgrounds at the heart of their brand. Their latest campaign celebrates the groundbreaking journey of England’s trailblazing 1972 women’s football team, with the aim of inspiring the next generation: www.whitestuff.com/life-stuff-style