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There were two Everton games that took place on Sunday but you probably only heard about one. While the Everton boys played against Chelsea, Everton Ladies played their first open door friendly against Watford and won 2-0. You may have also missed that Everton Ladies beat Blackburn Rovers 3-0 in their first friendly behind closed doors on August 15th.
Everton’s website and social media accounts have not publicized the Ladies’ friendlies very much thus far. The Everton Ladies Twitter account hasn’t been great with its coverage either. Most of the information about Sunday’s friendly was garnered from Watford’s coverage.
What does the 2-0 win over Watford mean? Preseason is not always a good indicator of the season to come, but a much more decisive win would've given Everton a boost in confidence considering that Watford is in the WSL2 and are not full-time. Comparatively, Watford played Liverpool Ladies on August 20th and lost 6-0.
The previous game against Blackburn went well too, with Marthe Munstermann marking her Everton debut with a goal, with Dan Turner and Claudia Walker bagging the other two.
Everton’s next friendly takes place Thursday, August 31st against WSL1 opponents Arsenal and should prove to be a much tougher test. Arsenal have a dynamic forward in Vivianne Miedema, who scored several goals to help Netherlands win the 2017 UEFA European Championship. Everton will play their toughest friendly against WSL1 Spring Series Champions Chelsea on September 3rd.
Watford v Everton Watford Ladies v Everton Ladies at Harefield Academy on Sunday 27th August 2017
Posted by Watford Ladies on Monday, August 28, 2017
Many of the top WSL1 teams have had enviable preseason games, with decent coverage through their social media accounts and team website. Liverpool recently played an incredibly desirable friendly against UEFA Champions League winners OL Feminin. Chelsea Ladies played a friendly against Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg. To remain competitive, hopefully Everton’s future preseason schedules will include top teams from around the world.
Of course progress takes time, but now that Everton Ladies are full-time, it’s time for their press coverage, website, and social media to step up their game to better serve the players and fans.
Everton Ladies pre-season schedule:
- Watford, 27 August, KO: 2pm (Won 2-0)
- Arsenal, 31 August, KO: 7.30pm
- Chelsea, 3 September, KO: 2pm
- Fylde, 5 September, KO: 7.45pm (Behind closed doors)
- Birmingham City, 17 September, KO: TBC