Jess Park was just six years of age when she joined her first football team, an under 7s boys team called Elloughton Blackburn Swifts. That was in Brough, a small town just outside of Hull, fast forward 15 years and a 21 year old Jess Park was making her first senior England appearance as she came off the bench in the dying minutes against Japan, fast forward another 2 minutes and Jess Park was scoring her first England goal as she tapped the ball into an empty net from close range.
That first cap and first goal was richly deserved for a player who has always pushed herself outside her comfort zone in order to progress as a player. When the time came for a young Jess Park to move away from her boys team and move across to girls football, Park was hesitant to continue her burgeoning football career, that was until her dad Ian told her she’d get her own training kit, to the young girl from Yorkshire this was too good to refuse.
It was no surprise then that years later in the Summer of 2022, Park had no reservations about making another move, this time on loan as she departed from Manchester City to Everton. This was a gamble for the 21 year old, as despite the Mancunians having a very strong squad, Park had actually made 23 appearances in all competitions in the prior season, and was bound to continue to get a solid amount of minutes.
This wasn’t going to do for Park though, who knew she had more to offer than just cameos off the bench, and she backed herself to show her quality at an Everton side forging a new identity under Brian Sørensen.
The decision was almost instantly proven to be the right one as Jess Park dazzled for the Toffees, perhaps her crowning moment in a royal blue shirt came in just her second game for the club, playing at Anfield in a Merseyside Derby, the forward collected a lofted pass before dribbling around Rachael Laws in the Liverpool net to score her first Everton goal and the pick of the goals in a 3-0 dismantling of their rivals.
Just a couple of weeks after her player of the match performance in the Merseyside derby, Park got a call that justified her decision to pursue regular club game time and to back her own ability, it was England boss Sarina Wiegman. The newly crowned European Champions had two friendlies coming up against the USA and the Czech Republic, and the Everton loanee was in the squad. Despite describing this first call up as her childhood dream, Park was already once again looking to push herself, saying “Just because I’ve been called up once it doesn’t mean anything is set in stone, I’ve just got to work even harder.”
This work ethic and desire to improve was rewarded again just a month later, when Park was once again called up for a set of friendlies, only this time she made her official debut in the aforementioned game against Japan, and became an England goalscorer just moments later.
After the highlight of her young career, it was straight back to Everton where Park continued to impress, chipping in with 5 goals and 6 assists in her first ever season as a regular starter in professional football. This impressive form led to another England milestone, this time a call up to the Lionesses victorious Arnold Clark Cup squad, a first taste of international silverware for the former York City academy player. Despite only starting one of the three games, the youngster still received plenty of credit for her performances, particularly a promising showing from midfield against Italy in a 2-1 win.
As her club season progressed, Park’s productivity in the final third began to slow down, with her last goal for Everton coming in mid January. This was natural for a young player who had played a lot of football for club and country, the technical quality on a weekly basis was still there for all to see on a weekly basis however and it was a huge shame that her season was curtailed with three games remaining due to a shoulder injury. Widely expected to make a big impact back at her parent club Manchester City next season as well as at this Summer’s World Cup, the future looks brighter than ever for Park, as her recent contract extension through to 2026 guarantees plenty of years in sky blue.
What makes Jess Park so good?
Park is a player who can play on both wings, behind the striker and even as a central midfielder on rare occasions, but on the flanks is where she found most of her game time this season. Able to cut in from the left and link up with the striker, or go outside on the right due to her deceptive pace, Park is equally capable and equally lethal on both sides.
Despite only being 5 ‘3, the winger uses her low centre of gravity and outrageous agility to evade challenges and hold off defenders, she has the ability to quickly turn and run at the defence both out wide and in central areas. With the majority of young forwards the main worry is end product, but despite not being a Guro Reiten level goal creator, Park still provided 10 direct goal contributions in all competitions, a total bettered by only Lauren James and Katie Robinson when it comes to players under 21 in the WSL.
With this level of ability and production at such a young age it’s no wonder that Jess Park is due for a huge role next year for both club and country, as Manchester City look to rebuild a team that stumbled to a disappointing 4th place finish, the Elloughton Swift turned Lioness will be vital. As always, it’s a challenge she’ll take head on.
Written by Stephen Conroy
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