Everton Women Timeline

From the club’s foundation to the present day, here is a timeline of Everton Women’s history.

If you have some additional information or you have found an error, click .

 

1983

Hoylake WFC was founded following a merger of 11-a-side team Bebington Ladies Football Club and 5-a-side team Dolphin Youth Club.

1984

Hoylake WFC changed their name to Leasowe Hotel Ladies Football Club, in association with a pub in Moreton, and joined the Merseyside and Wirral League.

7 Oct

1984

Leasowe Hotel played their first ever Women's FA Cup match - an 8-0 win over Macclesfield.

1985

Leasowe Hotel won the Merseyside and Wirral League title in their debut season as well as the North West League Cup and a local competition called the Conrogan Cup.

1986

Leasowe Hotel successfully defended the Merseyside and Wirral League title.

1986

Leasowe Hotel left the Merseyside and Wirral League and joined the North West Women's League.

1987

Leasowe Hotel changed their name to Leasowe Pacific after changing their base from the Leasowe Hotel to another pub called the Pacific Hotel in Birkenhead.

13 Mar

1988

Leasowe Pacific reached the Women's FA Cup final for the first time. After knocking out Biggleswade, Solent and Bronte, they beat 1985 winners Friends of Fulham 5-2 at Sincil Bank in the semi-finals, avenging the 6-1 defeat in the quarter-finals the previous year. The scorers were Maria Harper, Liz McDonald, Janice Murray and 2 own goals.

1 May

1988

Leasowe Pacific lost 3-1 to Doncaster Belles in their first ever Women's FA Cup final at Gresty Road. Michelle Jackson - daughter of manager Billy Jackson - scored their only goal from the penalty spot.

May

1988

Leasowe Pacific became champions of the North West Women's League for the first time.

5 Feb

1989

After knocking out Cardiff City Ladies and Reigate, Leasowe Pacific got their revenge against Doncaster Belles, beating them 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the Women's FA Cup. The win ended the Belles' run of 6 consecutive cup finals, and 1989 was the only year between 1983 and 1994 where they failed to reach the final.

5 Mar

1989

Leasowe Pacific beat Notts Rangers 3-0 at Sincil Bank to reach the Women's FA Cup final for the second consecutive year thanks to a hat-trick from Louise Thomas, including two goals directly from free-kicks.

22 Apr

1989

Leasowe Pacific won the Women's FA Cup for the first time, beating Friends of Fulham 3-2 in front of 941 fans at Old Trafford.

Leasowe Pacific took the lead through Janice Murray after 6 minutes, converting a cross from Louise Thomas. Friends of Fulham equalised almost immediately afterwards through Hope Powell and she added a second to give them a half-time lead. The score was level again thanks to Louise Thomas, and the opposing defence struggled to deal with a long ball from captain Jill Thomas, which was collected by Janice Murray and she passed the ball to Joy McQuiggan, allowing her to score the winning goal, resulting in Leasowe Pacific winning their first ever major trophy.

Highlights of the match were shown on Channel 4 in an hour-long programme dedicated to the final and the first ever televised Women's FA Cup final was watched by over 2 million people.

Before the match, there was a minute's silence for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster which had occurred only 7 days before the final. Leasowe Pacific players Cathy Gore, Jill Salisbury and Dianne Coughlin attended the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough when the tragedy happened.

May

1989

Leasowe Pacific completed the league, FA Cup and league cup treble after winning the North West Women's League title and the North West League Cup.

3 May

1989

The Leasowe Pacific players paraded the Women's FA Cup trophy at half-time in the Merseyside derby.

18 May

1989

Leasowe Pacific played at Goodison Park against a Nottingham Select XI in a 30-minute curtain-raiser for the Hillsborough Relief Fund.

Jul

1989

Leasowe Pacific went on their first overseas tour. After accepting an invitation from AC Milan, they played a series of matches in Sardinia.

May

1990

Leasowe Pacific won the North West Women's League title for the third consecutive year and the First and Second Division Cup.

10 Jun

1990

Leasowe Pacific beat Leeds United 9-1 in the All-England Inter-League Cup final.

1991

Leasowe Pacific were offered a place in the newly-created WFA National League - England's first national women's football league - but rejected the invitation.

May

1991

Leasowe Pacific won the North West Women's League for the fourth consecutive year. They clinched the title after a 4-0 win against Bronte through doubles from Maria Stanton and Alison Watt.

Jun

1991

Leasowe Pacific beat Newton to win the First and Second Division Cup and complete the regional league and cup double.

16 May

1992

Leasowe Pacific became the first ever team to do the North West treble - the North West Women's League, the North West League Cup and the First and Second Division Cup.

After winning the North West Women's Football League title for the fifth consecutive year and the North West League Cup after beating St Helens 3-2, they completed the treble by beating Preston Rangers 2-0 in the First and Second Division Cup final, thanks to goals from Joanne Bernstein and Louise Thomas.

1992

Leasowe Pacific departed the North West Women's League to join the First Division North - the northern section of the tier directly below the Women's Premier League.

May

1993

Leasowe Pacific won promotion to the Women's Premier League after becoming champions of the First Division North. They earned 33 points in 18 games, winning the league by 4 points.

12 Sep

1993

Leasowe Pacific played their first ever match in the Women's Premier League, drawing 1-1 against Wembley at the Cuemasters Ground in Moreton. Justine Lorton opened the scoring for Wembley and Louise Thomas scored the equaliser.

17 Oct

1993

After failing to win any of their opening three games and a postponement, Leasowe Pacific finally earned their first top-flight win - a 4-2 victory against Wimbledon.

May

1994

Leasowe Pacific finished 6th out of 10 in their maiden top-flight campaign, earning 23 points - 7 wins, 2 draws and 9 defeats.

1995

Leasowe Pacific were adopted by Everton and changed their name to Everton Ladies. They then moved from the Cuemasters Ground in Moreton to Rossett Park in Crosby, the home of Marine FC.

3 Sep

1995

Everton Ladies played their first ever competitive match since the adoption - a 6-4 defeat to Croydon at Rossett Park. Everton led 3-0 after 20 minutes courtesy of a Kathy Bell double and Andrea McGrady but Croydon levelled the scores by at half-time. Mo Mallon (now Marley) scored Everton's fourth in the second half but Croydon scored another three.

17 Sep

1995

The first ever women's Merseyside derby between Everton Ladies and Liverpool Ladies was played at Kirkby Stadium. Liverpool won the match 1-0 courtesy of a goal by Maria Harper - a member of Leasowe Pacific's WFA Cup-winning team.

8 Oct

1995

Everton Ladies won their first competitive match since the adoption - a 3-0 win over Millwall Lionesses.

6 May

1996

Everton Ladies finished their first season since the adoption in 4th place behind Croydon, Doncaster Belles and Arsenal. They earned 31 points with a league record of 10 wins, 1 draw and 7 defeats.

5 Apr

1997

Everton Ladies played at Goodison Park in a competitive match for the first time ever. Their opponents Wembley had a half-time lead through Naz Ball before Louise Thomas equalised and became the first Everton Ladies player to score at Goodison Park. However, Wembley regained the lead a few minutes later due to a Mo Marley own goal and Naz Ball scored again to make it 3-1.

9 Dec

1997

Everton Ladies played Liverpool Ladies in their first ever match at Anfield and the first women's Merseyside derby held at a Premier League ground. Around 300 fans watched Everton beat Liverpool 2-0 - Karen Burke opened the scoring after 13 minutes and Tina Mason made it 2-0 after 63 minutes.

30 Apr

1998

Everton Ladies became champions of England for the first time with a game to spare after their closest title rivals Arsenal drew 3-3 against Croydon. They ended the season with 43 points - 3 more than Arsenal - and a league record of 13 wins, 4 draws and only 1 defeat. During their title-winning campaign, they had a 12-game winning streak from September 1997 to February 1998.

27 Sep

1998

Prior to Everton Ladies' Women's Premier League Cup victory over Millwall Lionesses in a penalty shootout, manager Billy Jackson announced his resignation, saying that he "simply just had enough". Jackson was replaced by his assistant manager and captain Mo Marley's husband, Keith Marley.

1 Aug

1999

Everton Ladies played against Arsenal in the unofficial inaugural Women's Charity Shield at Wembley. The match was played as a curtain-raiser for the men's Charity Shield. Everton beat Arsenal on penalties.

24 Jun

2001

Rachel Unitt and Mo Marley became the first Everton players to play at a major women's international competition. They started in England's 1-1 draw against Russia at Euro 2001. Sammy Britton was brought on as a substitute. Mo Marley also had the honour of captaining England.

2002

During the off-season, Mo Marley replaced her husband Keith Marley as Everton Ladies manager. In her own words, "when I got the right qualifications, I sacked him!"

2 May

2005

Everton Ladies played in their first FA Women's Cup final in 16 years (when they were known as Leasowe Pacific) at Upton Park. Unfortunately, the players left London with a runners-up medal due to Eniola Aluko scoring the only goal of the game in the 58th minute.

8 Jun

2005

Fara Williams became the first Everton player to score at a major women's international competition. She scored a penalty to give England the lead against Denmark at Euro 2005, although Denmark eventually won 2-1.

9 Aug

2007

Everton Ladies played their first ever match in a European competition. They beat Lithuanian side Gintra-Universitetas 4-0 in the first qualifying group stage of the UEFA Women's Cup thanks to goals from Michelle Evans, Jody Handley, Becky Easton and Rachel Unitt.

11 Sep

2007

Rachel Brown, Fara Williams and Jill Scott became the first Everton players to play at the Women's World Cup. They all started in England's opening match - a 2-2 draw against Japan. Lindsay Johnson was brought on as a substitute.

17 Sep

2007

Jill Scott became the first Everton player to score at the Women's World Cup. She scored England's second in their 6-1 win over Argentina. In the same game, Fara Williams became the second Everton player to score at the Women's World Cup after scoring England's third from the penalty spot.

16 Oct

2007

Everton Ladies' first European campaign came to an end in the second qualifying group stage of the UEFA Women's Cup. Despite beating Icelandic side Valur 3-1, their earlier defeats to German side (and eventual winners) Frankfurt and Belgian side Rapide Wezemaal courtesy of last-minute goals in both games came back to haunt them.

24 Aug

2008

Mo Marley earned her 100th win as Everton Ladies manager. Everton beat Fulham 4-1 courtesy of a hat-trick from Fara Williams and a goal from Emily Westwood.

28 Aug

2008

Everton Ladies won the Women's Premier League Cup for the first time. They beat Arsenal 1-0 in front of 5,008 fans at Brisbane Road thanks to a 7th-minute goal from Amy Kane, ending Arsenal's 56-game unbeaten run in the process.

10 May

2009

Everton Ladies lost their Women's Premier League title decider against Arsenal. A 13th-minute goal from Suzanne Grant meant Arsenal beat Everton to the title on goal difference. Everton finished runners-up in 2008/09, despite earning 61 out of a possible 66 points - 20 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat.

22 Mar

2010

Everton Ladies became one of the eight original members of the Women's Super League - along with Arsenal, Birmingham, Bristol Academy, Chelsea, Doncaster Belles, Lincoln Ladies and Liverpool.

3 May

2010

Everton Ladies won the FA Women's Cup for the first time since 1989 (when they were known as Leasowe Pacific).

In front of 17,505 fans at the City Ground, Everton took the lead through Natasha Dowie in the 16th minute. However, Kim Little equalised from the penalty spot a couple of minutes before half-time after Rachel Unitt fouled Gemma Davison. But before South Korean referee Hong Eun-ah blew for half-time, Everton regained the lead after Arsenal captain Faye White headed Toni Duggan's cross into her own goal. Arsenal equalised again in the 54th minute through Julie Fleeting and scores remained level until full-time, meaning the final went into extra time.

It looked like the final was going to be decided by a penalty shootout although in the 119th minute, Brooke Chaplen kicked the ball into the penalty area and Natasha Dowie beat onrushing goalkeeper Emma Byrne to the ball and scored the winner.

Everton's cup final victory ended a run of 4 consecutive FA Women's Cup wins for Arsenal and it was also the the first time the Gunners have ever lost the FA Women's Cup final in what was their 11th final.

14 Apr

2011

Everton Ladies played their first ever Women's Super League match against local rivals Liverpool.

Everton struck first through Natasha Dowie 2 minutes before half-time. Just after the hour mark, Cheryl Foster equalised for Liverpool. In the 70th minute, Everton regained their lead thanks to Jill Scott. But then Liverpool turned it around - only 3 minutes after Scott's goal, Nicki Harding made it 2-2 and in the 90th minute, Ruesha Littlejohn gave Liverpool the lead for the first time in the game. It looked like Liverpool were going to get all 3 points, however in the third minute of stoppage time, Natasha Dowie grabbed her second of the game and the match ended 3-3.

25 Jul

2012

Jill Scott became the first Everton Ladies player to play at the Olympics. She started in Great Britain's first ever women's football match at the Olympics - a 1-0 win over New Zealand.

28 Jul

2012

In the immediate match after becoming Everton Ladies' first representative at the Olympics, Jill Scott became the first Everton Ladies player to score at the Olympics, doubling Great Britain's lead in a 3-0 win over Cameroon.

13 Oct

2012

After a successful 10 years in charge, Mo Marley resigned as Everton Ladies manager.

14 Nov

2012

Andy Spence, who was Mo Marley's assistant manager from 2004 to her departure, became the Everton Ladies manager.

28 Sep

2014

Everton Ladies were relegated for the first time in their history. Their relegation was confirmed after a 2-0 defeat to Notts County, and subsequent defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal meant they went through an entire season without a league win.

3 May

2015

Everton Ladies played at Goodison Park for the first time in 18 years, playing against Notts County in the Women's FA Cup semi-finals. 1,271 fans watched the Blues unfortunately lose 3-0.

10 Jun

2015

Andy Spence resigned as Everton Ladies manager. Nicola Anderson replaced Spence on an interim basis.

27 Nov

2015

Interim manager Nicola Anderson left Everton Ladies after rejecting the offer to become the manager on a permanent basis.

8 Dec

2015

Andy Spence returned as Everton Ladies manager only 181 days after resigning.

14 May

2017

Everton Ladies played at Goodison Park for the third time in a WSL 2 clash against Watford. 872 fans watched the Blues win 4-0 thanks to goals from Georgia Brougham, Aileen Whelan, Olivia Chance and Mollie Green.

20 May

2017

Everton Ladies became Women's Super League 2 Spring Series champions after beating London Bees 4-0 and returned to the top flight after a 3-year absence.

27 Jun

2017

Gabby George signed a 2-year contract at Everton Ladies to become the club's first full-time professional footballer.

7 Oct

2018

Andy Spence resigned as Everton Ladies manager for the second time.

1 Dec

2018

Everton Ladies appointed Manchester United Women's assistant manager Willie Kirk as their new manager.

6 Sep

2019

Everton Ladies dropped the word "Ladies" to become Everton. To avoid any confusion with the men's team, they would also be referred to as Everton Women.

17 Nov

2019

Everton Women played at Anfield for the first time in 22 years. They beat Liverpool 1-0 in front 23,500 fans thanks to a long-range strike in first-half stoppage time from Lucy Graham with some help from Liverpool goalkeeper Anke Preuss, who spilled the ball into the goal.

23 Feb

2020

Everton Women played at Walton Hall Park for the first time. The first goal at the stadium was scored by Manchester United's Leah Galton. Manchester United then led 3-0 before Everton got themselves back into the game through goals from Danielle Turner and Lucy Graham. Although, the Blues' first game at their new ground ended in a 3-2 defeat.

27 Sep

2020

In a behind-closed-doors encounter due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Everton Women played at Goodison Park for the fourth time and the second time in the Women's FA Cup. They played against reigning WSL champions Chelsea in the semi-finals. Chelsea took the lead after 5 minutes through Erin Cuthbert but Everton upset the odds by coming from behind to beat the champions 2-1 - Lucy Graham equalised 5 minutes before half time and Valerie Gauvin scored the winning goal in the 63rd minute to send the Blues to Wembley.

1 Nov

2020

Everton Women played a competitive match at Wembley for the first time in their history. In what was the 50th Women's FA Cup final, they played against reigning cup winners Manchester City. Manchester City led at half-time through a 40th-minute goal from Sam Mewis. However, Valerie Gauvin became the first Everton Women player to score at Wembley, levelling the score on the hour by heading in an Izzy Christiansen corner. The final went to extra-time but goals from Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie meant that Manchester City retained the cup.

4 Sep

2021

Everton Women played at Goodison Park for the fifth time in their 2021/22 WSL season opener against Manchester City. 5,998 fans - a club record attendance for a home game - watched the Blues lose 4-0.

16 Oct

2021

Willie Kirk departs as Everton Women manager.

29 Oct

2021

Women's Champions League winner Jean-Luc Vasseur was appointed Everton Women manager.

1 Feb

2022

After only 10 games in charge, 1 win in the WSL and reports of players being unhappy with the training methods, Jean-Luc Vasseur was sacked as Everton Women manager.

8 Apr

2022

Brian Sorensen was named as Everton Women manager, officially taking up the role ahead of the 2022/23 season.

25 Sep

2022

Everton Women played at Anfield for the third time in their history. They continued their 100% winning and clean sheet records at the ground with a 3-0 win over Liverpool in front of 27,574 fans. A header from Megan Finnigan in the 8th minute gave the Blues the lead. Loanee Jess Park doubled their lead in the 33rd minute. Finally, substitute Hanna Bennison secured the win in the 87th minute.

24 Mar

2023

Everton Women played against Liverpool at Goodison Park for the first time. The first women's Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park was originally planned to be played in 2020, however it was postponed due to adverse weather conditions and then it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In front of a club-record crowd of 22,161 fans, Everton took the lead after 27 minutes through a cross-cum-shot from Gabby George. 5 minutes before half-time, Liverpool equalised through Katie Stengel. Early in the second half, Liverpool had a goal controversially disallowed - following a corner, Leighanne Robe thought she gave Liverpool the lead but referee Lauren Impey disallowed the goal after Ceri Holland appeared to have impeded goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan. Everton themselves had a goal chalked off after Jess Park spectacularly struck the ball into the back of the net but was ruled out for handball. In the closing stages, Liverpool were twice denied a winner thanks to a couple of brilliant saves from Courtney Brosnan.

15 Oct

2023

Everton Women played against Liverpool at Anfield for the fourth time and extended their impressive record at the ground - 4 games, 4 wins, 4 clean sheets.

Everton had a difficult start and were arguably lucky not to be a goal down in the opening 5 minutes. After just 20 seconds, Lucy Hope suffered an injury following a challenge from Missy Bo Kearns and nearly a minute after play resumed, Kearns had a goal controversially disallowed for offside. In the sixth minute, Courtney Brosnan pulled off an incredible save by tipping Ceri Holland's strike onto the bar.

Despite the early scare, Everton took the lead in the 31st minute through captain Megan Finnigan by heading in Katrine Veje's corner. That goal made Finnigan the first Everton Women player to score in two Anfield derbies.

Everton had chances to extend their lead, including a strike from Katja Snoeijs which hit the bar, but defended solidly enough to prevent Liverpool from equalising and maintain their 100% winning record at Anfield.

18 May

2024

Everton Women scored their 1,000th top-flight goal, 31 years after scoring their first as Leasowe Pacific, thanks to Katja Snoeijs in the 16th minute against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.