Shooting stars

As befits one of the founding members of the Football League, Everton have been involved in professional women’s football since its earliest days.

Last season, the Toffees came sixth in the 12-team Barclays Women’s Super League, but with Danish manager Brian Sørensen given time to stamp his football philosophy on the side, hopes are high for a top-four finish.

Off the pitch, Everton are also in great shape with increasing attendances, and genuine commercial partners, such as Christopher Ward, coming on board. And from this season, Everton Women’s team will carry the Christopher Ward name on the back of their shirts.

As the new season gets into its stride we talk to Everton central defender Megan Finnigan and Everton Women’s CEO Alan McTavish about the year ahead, and why things are looking rosy for the Blues.

Alan. What excited you about working for Everton?
Alan: When I first joined in 2015, I’d previously worked at Watford as Commercial Director, so I came here on the business side. Then, in October 2021, our then-CEO, Denise Barrett-Baxendale, asked me to step across to my current role: CEO of Women’s Football. Coincidentally, when I did my MBA dissertation, it was on the commercial landscape of professional women’s football.

Megan, how long have you been here?
Megan: I’m from Wigan originally. I started playing football when I was six in a lads’ team. I loved it, and played for them until I was nine. I jumped across to a girls’ team and was scouted by Everton. I’ve been here ever since. When I was 15/16, I moved to the first team – and became a full-time professional at 19. I’ve seen it all!

“The recruitment has been good over the last few years, though this means we have to fight for our place!”

How have things progressed in that period?
Megan: On the pitch, the standard of training I experience is so much higher than when I first came here. That’s because the club has recruited really well. We also train full time. Off the pitch is where I’ve seen most of the changes. When I began, we used to train from 8pm till 10pm, as that was the only time we could access the astroturf. We didn’t get lunch or any sort of food. Now we get breakfast and dinner.
Alan: When I made the move across to the women’s side, it was in the middle of a challenging season, so my aim was to steady the ship and give us a platform to move on from. We weren’t public with what we wanted to do, we were confident we’d finish in the top half of the league in 2022-23. And that happened. To secure sixth in the WSL in an ever-increasing competitive environment was a good step forward from the difficult season before.

Do you draw players from the local area?
Alan: The north-west is a hotbed for talent – for both boys and girls. It’s very competitive, with Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City scouting around the region as well as clubs like Wigan, Blackburn, Bolton. Megan graduated from the academy here, and we’ve had several high-profile players who’ve come through, like Toni Duggan – and some of the Lionesses. The challenge is to identify the talent and get them on board.
Megan: We produce a lot of great players, but now we’re in an increasingly popular league, overseas players are also coming here. How do we make sure we bring local players through? That’s a challenge. But regarding local girls, Nikita Paris – now at Manchester United – is a standout. She’s a Scouser through and through, wears her heart on her sleeve – and has gone on to do amazing things.

You’re all so determined!
Megan: Yeah, we want to win all the time. Every professional has that mentality. I trained with Nikita over the summer. We played Man United in a pre-season game, and you’d think we were playing at Wembley in the FA Cup final. She was going for it!

Is there an underlying football philosophy at Everton?
Alan: Our manager, Brian Sørensen, wants to play in the same way week in, week out, so if you were watching a game in black and white, you’d be able to tell that it’s an Everton performance. Pressure on the opposition – both with and without the ball – is critical, regardless of who we play.

How can the women’s game gain more coverage?
Alan: Moving from the old TV deal to having the games available on Sky and one game per weekend free to air on the BBC is an enormous step forward. The WSL is easily the best league in the world because it’s so competitive. As Megan said, the top players in the world want to come here.

Megan, have there been players from abroad who’ve impressed you?
Megan: Over the last four or five seasons, more than 50 percent of our players have come from abroad. Nathalie Björn has impressed me: technically, she’s one of the most comfortable centre-backs on the ball I’ve ever seen. The recruitment has been good over the last few years, though this means we have to fight for our place! We all want to play every week. And that pushes me. You have to have that level of competition.

Do you get on as members of an organisation?
Megan: A lot of what we do is based on hard work. Brian tries to set the team up so people can drop in and out. But the team’s structure stays the same, so it’s always about the strength of the group, not individuals.

What are the derby games against Liverpool like?
Megan: The best of the season – as long as we win! That’s the first game we look for when the fixtures come out. The matches are passionate – and it comes down to who can manage the game's emotion best.
Alan: What you get in the women’s game is the good bits of the rivalry, without the negatives. Last season, we played the first derby at Anfield and the second at Goodison. On both occasions, the clubs secured record home attendances – and were live on TV. The timing helps, too: the games took place during the men’s international break.

Coming back to the season ahead. What are your hopes?
Megan: The aim has to be to break into the top four – which will be difficult. But I genuinely believe in Brian’s philosophy. Last year was about settling in and getting to know each other.
Alan: I’m hoping to see steps forward on the pitch. From the off-pitch perspectives, we’re looking for significant increases in attendances – both at Walton Hall Park [the regular home ground] and Goodison. I’d hope to see an increase in commercial partners – such as this partnership with CW. To sum it up – more match attendees, more TV eyeballs, and more revenue to allow us to further invest in the growth of the game!