This brand new venture, from hugely popular podcast and Youtube channel, The Blue Room, shines a much needed light on Everton Women and life as a female pro footballer.
It’s just shy of a year since I made my debut on The Blue Room. The Everton FC dedicated podcast and Youtube channel has been discussing all things Toffee for almost a decade now. The brand was created by Sports New Journalist Dave Downie and Football Writer and Broadcaster, Matt Jones (obvs both massive Everton fans), The Blue Room produces an incredible amount of quality, engaging content across the website, Patreon podcast, Youtube and social media – on a daily basis.
Podcast episodes cover all manner of current EFC news, players, signings, managers (CARLO FANTASTICO), fixtures, results, former players, historic games, cultural connections, you name it, if it’s even remotely related to the club, we’ll gab about it. The contributers are global blues. From Australia to the US and the Wirral.
Aside from reliable, daily content, The Blue Room also offers the likes of Mailbag – this weekly show gives fans the opportunity to ask questions for the panel to discuss. It also starts a totally unique conversation on social media among fans too, sometimes with absolutely nothing to do with Everton whatsoever. We’re never going to agree on what constitutes the perfect Christmas dinner! Onions in vinegar? Seriously Jack?
As a first generation blue, I was nervous to join ‘the lads’ in discussing the game. These lads are devout. Between them, they go to every game, home and away. They can recall results, handballs, unbelievable reffing decisions, away fan clashes, international escapades, last minute screamers and last minute screaming. It’s pretty incredible.
I began my Everton fan career age 18 when I met my husband and started going to the game with him. Sat behind the goal in the Lower Gwladys Street, my first game was against Sunderland. I almost missed the winner because I was so preoccupied with the fella sat three rows behind me who spent 80 odd minutes simply shouting ‘You’re shite’.
My lack of confidence aside, the lads invited me over to the Radio City tower to record and a new passion was born. We had a good laugh and still do. They’ve taught me so much and I’ve taken a real stand on topics I’m passionate about, such as Sam Allardyce and the brilliance of Dominic Calvert Lewin. I think I take a lot more stick than I give, but that’s subject to opinion.
The Blue Room has had a desire to cover more of the womens game for a while. I was truly blown away when Matt and Dave offered me the opportunity to host a new strand of the podcast focussing entirely on Everton Women.
Women On The Ball was launched in November 2019 with WOTB Episode 1 and featured an hour long chat with Everton Women captain Lucy Graham, Simone Magill and Maeva Clemaron.
The podcast gave us the chance to get to know the players, how they got started in football, what the team dynamic is like behind closed doors, who the jokers are (Simone for one!) and the challenges that lay ahead as these girls pave the way for a new generation of girls who can now visualse a career in professional football.
We had a good laugh and WOTB Episode 2 followed in December with equally good viewing/listening figures. Stories such as the one from Everton Women defender, Kika Van Es genuinely shocked us. With no provision for school age girls to pursue football, in her native Holland, Kika took extreme measures to follow her passion. Watch here to find out more.
Everton Women are flying this season. Currently sitting 5th in the Barclays FA Womens Super League and with a FA Cup fourth round draw game against London Bees tomorrow (Sunday 26th January 2020), the girls are back from the Christmas break and ready to battle. There’s also the small matter of a historic Merseyside derby taking place at Goodison Park on 9th Feburary, but that fixture is deserving of a blog post all of its own.
Just 14 months after taking the reins, Everton Women Manager Willie Kirk has steered a successful January transfer window to futher strengthen a team that has shown ambition. In a recent interview for Women On The Ball, he said: “It’s been a great January. I think we’ve maxed out, we did exactly what we wanted to do in terms of ins and out. I don’t think it could’ve gone any better to be honest.”
With three players incoming, including a return to USM Finch Farm (Everton’s training facility) for Goal Keeper Sandy McIver and Midfielder Izzy Christiansen, plus a transfer backed by former blue, Tim Cahill, in Hayley Raso from Portland Thorns via the Gold Coast, the second half of the season is looking bright and blue for Everton Women.
There’s loads more to come in the weeks ahead. To find out more about The Blue Room and to catch up on WOTB episodes so far, head to the official Youtube channel here, and get subscribing to the podcast, here.
Kate Reilly James 