Lord Mayor of Liverpool hails Barclays FA Women’s Super League Merseyside derbies for promoting “equality for all.”
Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Anna Rothery has described next week’s historic Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool’s Women on 9 February at Goodison Park as proof that the city is “genuinely committed to equality for all,” as she met players from both sides.
Everton club captain Danielle Turner and on-field captain Lucy Graham, plus Liverpool’s vice-captain Niamh Fahey and midfielder Rachel Furness visited the Lord Mayor at Liverpool Town Hall this week to talk about the highly-anticipated fixture, which will see Goodison Park host its first ever WSL Merseyside derby (kick off 2pm).
The game will be the second meeting of the two teams this season following Everton’s 1-0 victory in front of a derby record crowd of 23,500 at Anfield in November.
The Lord Mayor, who is the mayoral lead on equality said, “I think it 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 – it is now about hosting the games and ensuring that people have access to tickets.”
Lucy Graham – who scored in Everton’s victory at Anfield in November – and Danielle 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 them, 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 club has also invited all girls’ grassroots teams in the Merseyside area to apply for free tickets to attend the match.
The game comes ahead of Everton Women’s move to a brand-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.
Lucy Graham said, “The Lord Mayor is a very powerful woman in her own right 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.”
Danielle Turner added: “Liverpool is a big footballing city, and it was an honor 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.”
Tickets for the game are priced at £6 for adults and £3 for over-65s and juniors. To secure a ticket visit evertonfc.com or call the Everton Fan Centre on 0151 556 1878.
#WomensFACup 5th Rd: Ipswich Town Women face trip to holders
