Everton Ladies Season Schedule Released

The Everton Ladies schedule has been announced and while this season doesn’t start with a Merseyside derby, it will end with one on May 12th.

Their 2018/2019 season kicks off with the Continental Cup against Durham on August 26th. Durham is in the FA Women’s Championship, formerly known as the FA Women’s Super League 2. Everton’s first Women’s Soccer League 1 game will be on September 9th against newly signed Abbey-Leigh Stringer’s former team, Birmingham City, who came in 5th place last season.

The beginning of the season will be a tough one for Everton Ladies because they play Champions League qualifiers Man City and Chelsea in their 2nd and 3rd games, only three days apart.

In a brilliant scheduling move, the women’s and men’s Merseyside derbies were scheduled on the same weekend this season, with the Everton boys playing Liverpool on Saturday, December 1st and the women playing Liverpool Women on Sunday, December 2nd. What a fantastic idea! If the boys come up short on Saturday, the women can make it right on Sunday. The Toffees will then play Liverpool Women again only four days later on December 6th for the Continental Cup.

Last season, Everton Ladies came in second to last place. It was their first season back in the top flight of women’s football and there were a lot of growing pains.

The last place team, Yeovil Town, is still in the league because there wasn’t relegation due to restructuring of the league.

Two new teams join the WSL1: Brighton & Hove Albion from, who came in 2nd place in the WSL2 last season, and West Ham United, who came in 7th place in the WPL South. If this seems odd, it’s because entrance into the WSL1 came down to specific financial requirements - all players must be full-time.

For the 2018/2019 season, the top two FA WSL1 teams will go to the Champions League and the last place team will be relegated. Given that Yeovil Town did not win a single game last season and that two new teams will be joining from lower tiers, Everton Ladies should be well above the relegation zone.

The Blue Women will get a chance to play against the newly formed Manchester United Women’s team that is playing in the FA Women’s Championship on December 13th in the Conti Cup.

No news yet on television coverage. Last season, several games were broadcast on television by BT Sport, BBC, and the WSL’s Facebook page.

Full schedule here