Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Anna Rothery says next weekend's historic Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool Women at Goodison Park underlines the city is “genuinely committed to equality for all", as she met players from both sides.
Everton Club captain Dan Turner and on-field skipper Lucy Graham, as well as Liverpool’s vice-captain Niamh Fahey and midfielder Rachel Furness, visited the Lord Mayor at Liverpool Town Hall to discuss the highly-anticipated February 9 fixture, which will see Goodison host its first ever WSL Merseyside derby (kick-off 2pm).
The game will be the second meeting of the teams this season following Everton's 1-0 victory in front of 23,500 fans at Anfield in November.
The Lord Mayor, who is the mayoral lead on equality, said: “I think it [hosting WSL derby matches at Anfield and Goodison] says that as a city we are genuinely committed to equality for all – it is not just words.
"The first game was fantastic. I attended, and I saw how many people turned up and how proud they were to see the women play. I think there is genuinely the support there for women’s football in the city.”
Everton midfielder Graham - who scored the winner at Anfield in November - and defender Turner presented the Lord Mayor with 20 complimentary tickets for each of the Lord Mayor’s official charities - The Anthony Walker Foundation, Amadudu Women’s Refuge, Liverpool City Region Pride Foundation and Merseyside Somali Association.
The Lord Mayor added: “Obviously, there are barriers to attending football games, mainly financial, but there are other barriers also.
"The charities will disseminate the tickets, so people who may never have thought about attending a game, or who have been unable to, will now have the chance to go. Once they have attended one women’s game, I am sure they will want to come to all of them. We really appreciate the gesture of the Club - it means a lot to us.”
The game comes ahead of Everton Women’s move to a new stadium at Walton Hall Park, which will bring elite women’s football into the heart of the city of Liverpool on a regular basis.
Scotland international Graham added: “The Lord Mayor is a very powerful woman and you know what she stands for - that is equality and diversity - whether that is in sport or in everyday life.
"She is a role model, has shown a great interest in our sport and comes along to the games – it is fantastic that she will be attending both derbies to show her support for women’s football.”
Club captain Turner added: “Liverpool is a big footballing city, and it was an honour to meet the Lord Mayor and to push women’s football in the city ahead of the derby game.
“We saw the crowd at Anfield and we want to replicate that or go one better at Goodison. The support we received on that day was brilliant. The fans have been fantastic for us this season, and hopefully the crowd at Goodison will be the best we’ve seen.”
You can show your support for Everton Women by securing your seat for the Merseyside derby on Sunday 9 February (2pm) now.
The Club's ongoing commitment to allowing Season Ticket, Lounge and Official Members free access to women’s games will continue for the fixture, although all Members will be required to claim a ticket and select their seat in advance.
Tickets are otherwise £6 for adults and £3 for over-65s and juniors, with a £10 premium ticket also on offer.
Everton FC