'it's Ours' - Everton Women Ready To Call Goodison Home

To nan casual observer, Everton v Tottenham is conscionable different Women's Super League fixture.

But history will beryllium made connected Sunday astatine 14:30 BST, pinch Everton playing their first lucifer astatine Goodison Park since it became nan imperishable location of nan women's team.

Everton person played astatine Goodison Park before, astir precocious successful November 2024, erstwhile they hit Liverpool 1-0 successful nan Merseyside derby, but connected their erstwhile appearances astatine nan 133-year-old stadium, they were guests of Everton men.

But pursuing nan relocation of nan men's squad to nan recently constructed Hill Dickinson Stadium connected Liverpool's waterfront, Goodison Park is embarking connected a caller era arsenic nan largest dedicated women's stadium successful England.

More succinctly, successful nan words of Everton defender Kenzie Weir: "It's ours."

Weir is much acquainted pinch nan stadium than astir of her team-mates, arsenic her dad, erstwhile Scotland world David Weir, made much than 250 appearances for nan Toffees betwixt 1999 and 2007.

There are photos of her connected nan transportation arsenic a kid and she "remembers nan atmosphere" from his playing days. Now, it's nan shape for her and her team-mates to "showcase what we've got".

"The history and nan emotion you get erstwhile you spell to Goodison is different to immoderate different stadium I've been to," Weir said. "There's conscionable axenic excitement from nan full squad to beryllium capable to play there.

"[The club] has put a batch of spot successful nan women's team. To support Goodison and springiness america Goodison, it gives america nan assurance and information we request to transportation that bequest on. There's unit because it's specified a large stadium and it's specified a historical stadium, but we're really excited to showcase what we've got.

"We've played a fewer games there, but it's ever been nan men's stadium. Now it's our stadium and we tin make it consciousness for illustration it's ours."

Goodison Park was destined for an wholly different early erstwhile Everton's move to Bramley-Moore Dock was announced.

The club's erstwhile owner, Farhad Moshiri, had planned for an £82m post-demolition renewal task connected nan site, including housing, a attraction home, unit units, and a park. The centre circle, wherever nan ashes of Everton fable Dixie Dean are scattered, would beryllium preserved arsenic an area of greenish space.

But pursuing the Friedkin Group's takeover successful December 2024, those plans were scrapped, pinch a feasibility study convincing nan backstage finance patient that nan crushed had a agleam early successful nan women's crippled – albeit pinch alterations to make to nan 39,572-seater stadium.

The women's broadside antecedently shared grounds pinch Marine, rugby convention broadside Widnes Vikings, and Southport, earlier settling astatine Walton Hall Park successful 2020. That ground, 1 mile from their caller home, has a 2,200 capacity and attracted an mean location attendance of 2,062 past season.

As good arsenic covering nan precocious tiers of nan Main Stand, Bullens Road Stand and Howard Kendall Gwladys Street End pinch nine branding, Everton women CEO Hannah Forshaw confirmed "minor changes" person been made to nan concourse levels to "accommodate nan caller audience".

The travel of fans done nan crushed has been altered, pinch nan instrumentality parkland unfastened passim nan match, and nan nine will proceedings allowing intoxicant successful nan stands aft securing a licence.

With nan crushed still evolving, Forshaw is keen for fans to person their opportunity successful nan matchday acquisition while besides respecting nan stadium's "heritage".

"This is not conscionable bricks and mortar. That's a stadium pinch a psyche that intends a batch to a batch of people," she said. "We'll get that unfastened and past we'll commencement to deliberation astir really champion to utilise nan stadium to suit nan needs of nan women's game.

"We didn't want to make immoderate assumptions connected what our fans want. We want our fans to travel and show us, and activity pinch them to build nan caller era of Everton to make judge it's fresh for intent for years to come."

Weir has backed nan club's vocal "core group of supporters" to thief nan players settee into their caller surroundings.

Head coach Brian Sorensen, meanwhile, says nan crushed is already "starting to consciousness for illustration home" and praised nan nine for balancing nan aged pinch nan caller successful Goodison's renovations.

"Every clip we travel there's progress. The tunnels are rebranded, nan changing rooms are ace bully for nan girls, nan stadium is starting to return shape," he said. "And past you person each nan aged quotes astir nan stadium. I emotion stepping astir nan tunnels and seeing that.

"I show nan girls we are inheriting thing humanities and we request to make judge we play pinch a batch of pride. It's nan blend of a caller era and history we can't forget."

For a time, Everton were 1 of nan apical women's teams successful nan country.

They won a convention title successful 1998, 2 home cups successful nan precocious 2000s, and reached nan quarter-finals of nan Women's Champions League successful 2011, and attracted players specified arsenic Jill Scott, Fara Williams, Toni Duggan and Rachel Brown-Finnis.

Under Moshiri's ownership, nan team's on-field results went into decline, incapable to compete pinch nan sustained occurrence of Arsenal and emerging powerhouses Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United. Since his takeover successful 2016, they've vanished nary higher than 5th successful nan WSL.

But location is optimism astir nan nine that alteration is coming.

The Friedkin Group are nary strangers to occurrence successful nan women's game, winning six trophies since 2020 arsenic nan mostly owners of Roma, and brought successful 9 players during nan transportation window, including Ornella Vignola, who scored a hat-trick against Liverpool astatine Anfield connected her debut.

Forshaw tin consciousness a alteration astir nan club, though she did be aware against expecting Everton to "win nan convention successful play one".

"Our ambition is to beryllium competitive, proceed to pull those prima players that will proceed to move america up nan league, hopefully get a really bully cup run. We've sewage nan talent to do it. The squad person sewage nan belief," she said.

"I get nan consciousness there's been a existent measurement alteration successful really group are viewing nan women's crippled astatine Everton and that's radiating done nan team."

Sorensen credits nan stadium move pinch helping to pull players to nan nine and waste his vision: "Goodison is simply a magic spot and it was thing I told agents and players [about]. A batch of female players are looking for that stableness and support from nan ownership because they bargain into nan project."

As for Weir, it's nan history embedded wrong Goodison Park which will spur nan women's squad connected successful their "new chapter". Everton's men won 24 trophies, including 8 First Division titles, during their clip astatine nan stadium.

"If you look astatine women's shot successful England successful nan past 20 years aliases so, Everton person ever been 1 of nan best. We've ever had very bully players who've gone connected to do awesome things," Weir said.

"It's breathtaking for america to spot this caller section and hopefully push connected this play and nan adjacent fewer seasons.

"The history is still there, and nan memories are still there. It's our occupation to return connected that task and springiness them much history."