Everton Women to debut in new stadium in front of sold out crowd against Manchester United

If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet for Everton Women’s first game at their new stadium, Walton Hall Park, you’re out of luck because the game is now sold out!

The stadium, which is located about a mile away from Goodison Park, will eventually have a capacity for 2,200 seats but as of right now, it is capped at 1,500 until the club finishes renovating the space.

Manager Willie Kirk told Everton.com about how excited he is to move to the “heart of the city”:

“It’s a day we’ve all been waiting for and I want Walton Hall Park to become a place where the players enjoy playing and where the opposition find it really difficult. We want to create a fortress.

“I feel it will be a fantastic place for Everton fans to come, too.”

Walton Hall Park had been slated to open back in October but was pushed back several times due to delays. Kirk realizes how important it is to build a “strong fanbase” to increase their attendance rates, which have been the lowest in the league partly due to an inconvenient stadium location.

Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Since departing Manchester United as their assistant coach, Kirk has yet to win against his former team. Everton lost to the Red Devils 3-1 in December despite going a goal up early in the game. That result meant that Everton moved down to fifth place while Manchester United went up to fourth.

A month prior, the Blues lost 3-0 to Manchester United in the FA WSL Cup. The Red Devils are a strong side with a good manager in Casey Stoney. Everton will be looking to stifle United forward Lauren James from getting to the goal as she scored a brace against them in their last fixture.

But the Blues have England international Chloe Kelly and a brand new stadium full of 1,500 fans so this could be their day!

Projected lineup:

Everton (4-2-3-1): Sandy MacIver; Esme Morgan, Megan Finnigan, Gabby George, Danielle Turner; Maéva Clemaron, Lucy Graham; Chloe Kelly, Molly Pike, Inessa Kaagman; Simone Magill

Gabby George went off with an injury during their last game but there’s update as to her status.

Projected score:
2-1, Manchester United

Match Details
Everton Women vs Manchester United
Sunday, 23 February
12:30pm Local time, 7:30am EST
Walton Hall Park
Watch for free on the FA Player App