 Welcome to Toffy TV. I'm joined in the studio by Sarah Halpin for the first time in a very, very long time. It feels like it doesn't it? But then I suppose, I suppose with lockdown and everything, you forget how long things have been. My little sister, bless her, she was put on furlough and she's just started back at her job and she's made up because she's been tearing her air out thinking what to do with herself. And it's been really challenging mentally. And she rang me the other day and said, oh, Sarah, I'm made up. I'm working again. She's going to the office next week, I think, but for the time being, she's like, and she went, you know, it's been five months because I was with her when she got the call to say she was going to be furloughed. She was like, that was five months ago. And I thought, bloody hell, wow, you know, like, when you think of it in time like that, it's all just become one big merged, like hazy daydream. But five months you're looking at like nearly half a year. It's mental. Absolutely mental. But we're still here. We're still here. And we're just going to have a chat about Everton's women's scene, which I find the project very, very fascinating. Sarah is, of course, the roving reporter, the pitside annoyance, I imagine. The girls will back you on that one. Social media, the lot when it comes to official as well. Official. Does it offer Everton ladies? Sorry, Everton women. You can't call it Everton ladies. What is that like? What is that like going up and down the country with the team and being part of the setup? Ped, as you know me, like fanatic Everton in all my life. So to be in a position now where the club have gone to me, yeah, you can work with us and produce the content and media stuff and travel on the team coach with the players and the management and that. And basically be a part of the team because I know I'm not there every week through Finch Farm and that, but as far as match day and match, especially a ways where we're away for the weekend, you know, to be a part of that special team is just amazing and I'll forever be grateful to Everton for allowing me to get involved, to be honest with you. But I think it's something that's worked out well for all parties involved and yeah, I'm just loving it mate and it's something I've missed so, so badly. For me, you're the perfect candidate. You are fanatical. You massively want to be involved. You're massively passionate about it and you love the women's game so, you know, so that to me fits all those. Do you know what, you can have all this. You can keep all your degrees and your bells and whistles and your journal is a school. Passion is what it's all about. That's what it's all about. It is and you know me, heart on my sleeve and that's it and I just pinch myself all the time to be in positions that I'm in but, you know, I might be a bit of a rough diamond. I might not have all the pressure and stuff down to a T and this, that and the other but what you will get the same as yourself is just raw passion, a genuine love for something and I think that communicates with a certain audience that, you know, you don't always necessarily know what you're going to get but you know it's going to be authentic and it's going to be real and it's probably going to be. I think you definitely don't know what they're always going to get. I know that for a fact. It's been a bit of a weird spell for the women's game as well because it really did take the brunt of what has happened with Covid where this football, men's football came back and played behind closed doors. Women's game went into hibernation essentially and you know, due to things like the testing and being that being affordable. The season was curtailed, it obviously went by expected points which meant Liverpool got relegated. I'm heartbroken on that front. But just tell us the situation with what happened to Everton with that. Yeah, so we ended up finished in sixth position in the league due to expected points per game and in my honest opinion I think had the season been able to be played out as usual I think we probably would have got that top four. In my opinion I think Chelsea Arsenal and Manchester City would get the top three and then Everton would probably be the best of the rest. It wasn't to be the last game that kind of done us over in that sense was we played Manchester United and we lost to them at home in a frustrating game. But sixth place is not bad given where the team were the season before that, you know, sort of not far off getting relegated to be honest with you and you know to now be in a position where sixth place and now with the business, the club have done over the summer very, very much looking to improve on that and you know try maybe even try and break that top three, try and knock one of them out of there. It's a big ask but you know I think we've got the squad, we're starting to see the squad to do that now. Yeah, I mean the last couple of years it really has changed and Willie Kerr came in, system manager Manchester United obviously was probably promised a lot of things that there was going to be an improvement. Plays have started to come in, there was an improvement straight away last year although Everton lost the best player didn't he? Yeah, Chloe Kelly going over to Manchester City was obviously a massive blow given that she's just a star that girl and I think anyone who watched her you've seen the goals, absolutely won the goals. Her overall plays she's a proper baller so it was never going to be in doubt that the biggest and the best were going to come chasing after a signature. I know Chloe really loves Everton but I think at the position we were in at the time not able unfortunately to offer European football and in the women's game I think it's quite different. You know sometimes you feel you have to take these opportunities so that was a massive blow, wish her all the best but I think what Everton have done since then and the announcing and you know all the players like Hannah Cain and Nessa Cagman and Kirsty LaValle, Taylor Hines there's been a few out goings but the players of which we've brought in I think has made up for that and then something that the fans can clearly see we're investing, we've brought in a lot of international players, well known players from different countries and I feel like our squad's gone up a level. Having so many internationals is a great thing I think as well. Well we've seen the pictures of players coming in early, a lot of internationals but then three or four weeks ago I've seen this rumour about Valley Gouvant and I'm going to say we're the best French accents against Gouvant. Because I'd watched the Whale Cup a couple of years ago and I know you went over for it, I remember this girl's name, this lady's name and I was thinking I was just like if I remember this player's name then she must have impressed me during the Whale Cup and for Everton to be bringing it in I thought that. I first want to see in the room and I was like oh that sounds interesting but the fact that it actually happened that's a brilliant buy and a real statement of intent for the 17 moving forward. Yeah it's a belt in sign in that added to the other internationals, a couple of Danish internationals and Norwegian, England under 21 as well, Hailey Razo Australian but Gouvant you're right is a real stand out. The stats of this girl are incredible and as you said she had a really impressive world cup for France, somebody that as you say if anyone watched the world cup that might not necessarily follow women's football I think she's one that when you see you're like oh that is the French choker that was fantastic and brilliant from Everton to get her in and I think just the way other clubs and the press are talking surrounding the women's game about Everton now I think everyone's really starting to take them more seriously. As you said Willie Kirk's come in a couple of seasons ago really done well to turn things around but what you've seen the club have obviously promised him investment which has been delivered upon. I think we're starting to see Willie's team now, this is the team that he's been trying to build and he'll be happy with the team that's now at his disposal and looking to build. The challenges that you've got now for each position is incredible, nobody's guaranteed again, that's something that we've been sorely lacking and competition's going to be mental for places next season which is what you want. Yeah definitely at any level and I just thought as mentioned before I find the project really interesting because they brought in six players haven't they and they're all seem to be top players. The stadium obviously which Everton went into last season only actually played one game and got beat. Nothing more evident than that is there but the fact that they've got their own stadium, they're looking for their own sponsorship for the shards as well. So their own investment, the whole thing is getting run by Alicia Uzmanoff's nephew which is really interesting. Very interesting. Samar, I'm yet to meet but I'm very excited. I'm yet to meet Samar this year so don't worry about it but that's really interesting and it just seems like there's a real project happening there like Everton are obviously taking it serious but doing it like I always felt like years ago almost like and this is probably not right but I always felt like this, they're almost like Everton ladies where it was an extension of like Everton in the community. Like it was just like a thing to have like it was like a box taking exercise and now it does feel like a proper thing it's own little entity like they're putting money into it like they've built the stadium. You know they're bringing quality players in the one to compete especially when the women's game is starting to take off and people are starting to invest in it. Obviously there's two leagues now you've got teams like Manchester United have only just really come into it in the last two or three years. They're putting money into it and obviously we've got the big hitters of Manchester City, of Chelsea, of Arsenal. Manchester City bringing in players like Rose Lavel, there's a real top US international. These are probably names that maybe people don't know but. In the women's games. But in the women's games they're like they're massive aren't they? It's interesting that Everton are trying to compete and I just find that like I think a few people have made the joke about this so I was like you know Everton are bringing in all these players for the women's team but bringing in none for the men's team. I just find the whole thing quite interesting where it's going because it's almost like saying this is what we'd love to do with the men's team if we had like a blank piece of paper but in the women's game because there's no fees and that kind of thing. You're almost allowed to do that and I think you know it's just going to be really interesting where it goes. Yeah it is and as you say I very much feel like Everton now even changing the name from Everton Ladies last season to Everton FC women or Everton women FC just to differentiate of course between the men's and the women's team. It's more all-inclusive of course the fact that the women's team train and work at Finch Farm I think is a massive thing. They've got Walton Hall Park now you know when I first started working with Everton all our home games were being played in Southport which had a mega impact as you'd expect on spectators etc. Now I think season to get holders whoever when it's of course safer fans to come back and my personal opinion it'd be easier to start doing that with the women's team than the men's obviously given the smaller attendances and stuff so far but I think people are going to be wanting to go to Walton. You know that's where a lot of our core hardcore fan base are in around North Liverpool and L4 and around Goodison and then Wales and to be able to walk there on a Sunday and take your kids and a lot of the things we talk about we complain about in modern day football. You know the kind of massive gap between the players and the fans and it feels like they're in a totally different bubble whereas with the women it's so great you can stand up on the terraces you can see you're right up close to the pitch they're getting stuck in and their people you know it's boss. Well the funny thing is that's basically how you started you were doing guerrilla journalism at the matches you were going down grabbing the players and getting interviews with them and then suddenly someone at Everton realised that maybe you know you could do that for them which would make more sense so that shows you but no it is like there's no way I would ever have gone to Southport or up to witness to watch you know to watch. It's a long way isn't it? It's a long way to almost like for something that you don't know what you're going to get but let me just like let me just just put like you know a thing on that is that I wouldn't go and watch the Everton under 23 isn't those places are there? 100% So it's not like I'm not just saying that because I wouldn't go all that way. When I was a lad a lot of people got introduced to like Everton by going to goodness and to watch like the reserves and you'd watch sprinkling of kids and senior players and that's how a lot of people got into it and then that's being lost a little bit because we still have under 23 games but not all the time and obviously because it's under 23s now but it is a good introduction into it and I feel like with the ladies being at Walton Hall Park. And I genuinely hope that not to rain on the parade of the women's team but I hope like maybe the under 23s end up there as well or some of the under 23 games end up there as well because to make use of this like little mini stadium where players are close to the fans. It's a boss as well, it's a boss facility. But I think that helps though. But I think the idea of like say you know someone who wants to get their daughter or their son into the game could take them up to Walton Hall Park and you know kids may never have been to a game of football before, never been to see Everton before and the next time they're seeing a team whether it be the Everton women's or the Everton men's playing in the Everton game you've got zed cars and it's like that mini, mini feel of like you know and what's great about that is that you've got a lot of people in the game. It's inclusive. You go to go to some park and it's going on the 23s game and it's just a normal game. There's not many people there and you're stuck up in a stand and I feel like. You're miles away aren't you? Exactly. Whereas I feel like when you go and watch these games, you're part of it. It's right there. The game is right there. You can reach out and touch it and I think for a kid that could be, can't be anything better than that. Surely it can't be anything than reaching out and touching you know being right there. I can't listen. I can't not going to know the difference. They're really not. And if that gets them to the love of Everton and the love of the game and hopefully the men's teams and the women's team then I think that's a brilliant thing. So I think hopefully this season once we are allowed to go, used to say that going back to watch the women's team might be the only Everton team we might be able to watch you knows. Because the talk is that they're going to open the stadiums up for non-league football which would be similar. So surely they should be opening the women's game up. And if that means that people can go, you know what, I won't be able to fix, I'll go and watch the ladies, the women's team, then hopefully that happens and hopefully that happens quite soon. I hope so, Peddan. You're right as well. We talk about the business, the kind of lack of business thus far touch wood that will change soon for the men's team. I think everyone is looking at the women's team and there's genuinely something to really get excited about. People are seeing these new players coming in and going, ah, you know, go on, I want to go and watch her. Hopefully people watch this today and hers you talking about Govan and you know thinking, ah, Ped doesn't really watch that much women's football but he said this girl was boss. So do you know what, I'm not a massive fan. But I wouldn't mind checking them out or following some of the footage at the start of the season and yeah, just even things like he said, you could take your kids to the game. Obviously, I'm no at the moment, no fans and social distancing measures but when it's all safe to do so, you know, these kids go and watch their heroes play every week because they become their massive idols and the girls are amazing with the kids all the time in the world from, we'll talk to them, talk to them about, you know, what's going on with their team that this kid's playing for, what they should do, offer them advice, give them an ear, get a selfie with them. And these kids are just made up and they've got all the time because they know, you know, often these girls, it's a relatively new thing that being able to play football professionally and make a living out of it. When I was a kid, it was like I played in a men's football team to have these kids being able to see like, you know, this could be a career for you. You know, when I was little, I used to want to play for Everton but I didn't think I'd have been able to play for Everton. Little girls in the night, you can go on and play for Everton and make a career out of it. And the thing about it is, well, you have to separate the two sports as well. They are two different sports. I think far too many people look at the women's game through the eyes of someone watching the men's game. We don't tend to do that for other sports. We don't tend to watch, say, athletics, the World Championships or the Olympics or whatever and go, oh, why isn't she as fast as Usain Bolt or whatever. We understand physiology. We understand that. Science. Science. Yeah, we understand that. There's differences in the games. We understand the money also that's put into the men's game. It isn't put into the women's game. Not even close. Exactly. Not even close. Not by a long shuttle. And I know, listen, in the last couple of years there's been, since that World Cup, since Megan Rapina came out and she was sort of courted, by saying certain things. And then there was the court case saying that the women's US team should be in more money than the men's team. And that allowed people to take offence at that, even though the women's team make more money than the men's team. That's what I couldn't understand. People were like, well, it's the men's team. Yeah, but the men's team are rubbish. When was the last time the American men's team won anything? Well, it's not even that they win anything. It's that the women's team can fill stadiums. They're so big over there and that's not even a dig at the American men's team either, by the way. It's just like, there seems to be a problem with recognition of, like, they're representing, and in what they do they are representing their country at the highest level and winning it almost every time. And it's not even like people go, yeah, but the men's are so much harder than the women's. Well, I understand that. But the point being is, certainly on that case, the women are really, really good and they are selling out stadiums. So financial, and they have their own shares. And people, I think the women's share for the World Cup two years ago was the fastest selling share on the Nike website for any share anyway. Yeah, like at the time. I don't know whether that's been better, but at the time. So in terms of money made, they deserve the money. But people took offence to that. How dare they ask from them? And these are the things I just don't understand. Like, I don't quite understand why people have to have that outlook on things. Why can't you just go, that person really wants to play football. Imagine if they just went, well, actually, you know what, we're not having any women's football. But women can play in the men's game. Imagine the outrage of someone did that. Honestly, this is the thing. I think some people just for whatever. And I know it's not all people and there'll probably even be some comments to me saying this, but there just are some people whose ego must be that fragile that they can't bear to see a woman playing football, earning money, doing well. How dare you? You're a woman. It's still such a big thing of like inequality. And I see posts all the time from people in the women's game. And sometimes I'll just click on the comments just to see some. And you would not believe the things people say. And they're like, no one cares, but they're saying these utterly outrageous things. I'm like, well, you must care a little bit, sweetheart, because it's ruffled your feathers and you really seem to be having a strong... You're not allowed to call them sweetheart. You're not allowed to call them sweetheart. Exactly. Do you know what I mean? So there's all this. And I think that it's, you know, I think that people need to just get used to the fact. It is a different thing. And as you said, people didn't go in the London 2012 thing. Olympics go, oh, we're going to, we're not, Jessica, and this is, we're going to turn that off. She's going to go, who cares? It's just obscene. And I think it's just such an old, like fossilised way of thinking that, like, has to, well, he say has to change. There's some people who just won't ever change. We will change, because everything changes. But I just think the games on the up, there's plenty of space for it. There's plenty, commercially there's plenty of space for it. That's why I haven't won their own sponsor for the women's team. There's an audience for it. There's a growing audience for it. And let's hope that, like we said, if the women do get the chance to have spectators before the men's game, that us as fans utilise that and go down and support them and get our little fix. Because why not? Why not? And if you can take, if you can take a daughter or a granddaughter or a grandson and open them up to, or son and open them up to the game and go, well, this is a game of 40 and that's Evan. And that's why I think when they change there from being Evan ladies to just Evan, what that says is that we're just an all-inclusive club. Just a different gender. It's just a different gender, so just support them. And I don't go on not supporting the men's team because they're men and I'm not a man. It's like when you see men, ah, they're birds or they're women never. You can't say that! You can't say birds, but this is what I mean. This is the kind of thing you say, I'm not watching them play footy. I'm not. And it's like, it doesn't work like that. Just, you know, and just, I guess, open your mind a little bit. Don't be so, don't be such a crank about it and actually give it a go. And you'd be surprised. I want you to enjoy it. No, the main thing is those. The main thing is Sarah, right? If everyone did get successful and they did win a trophy, plenty of people would be there to see them win a trophy. Of course they would. If there was a final or something down, you know. Look at the derby was meant to be at Goodison, we told out the derby that was at Anfield. I'm glad you mentioned that actually because I'd forgotten about that. That was again one of the real sad things of it, wasn't it? It was that whole build up to that Sunday. It was going to be a really big thing and then it got called off. Now we can't because they've been relegated. Oh, I'm heartbroken by that. Maybe we'll get them in the cut. Yeah, maybe we'll get them in the cut. I'm heartbroken by that. No, so the first game is a week Sunday, is it? Yes, it is a way at Bristol, which actually was the last away game we did in the FA Cup. We won 5-0, so. So it's the beginning of a brand new season, isn't it? The beginning of a brand new WSL season. Although the FA Cup is the last seasons? Yes, so that's just reminding me actually. So we played Bristol in the FA Cup last season. We won 5-0, progressed and we had a tasty tie against Chelsea women for the quarterfinal. Now the season obviously was ended early. However, that is going to go ahead. The FA Cup is going to go ahead. So Everton, I think, are playing Chelsea in last season's FA Cup quarterfinal on the 26th of September at Walton Hall Park. So although we've got a very exciting season to look forward to, we've also got still the potential of some silverware. Chelsea's going to be a big ask, but if we were to go through, we're looking at semi-final of the FA Cup, one game away from Wembley. This might be a stupid question. I don't know if you know the answer to it. Are we allowed to play on new signings? Weirdly, right. This has been a kind of thing that's been causing a bit of frustration. I believe we can. So Haley Razo and Izzy Christensen, we'd signed them in January, but they're both yet to play because they were injured. I believe they can definitely play, but I actually think our new signings can play as well, because otherwise a lot of teams, for example, I think Birmingham, I don't even think they've got enough players to put a team together at the moment. So do you know what I mean? There's all this has been so much going on that I think, for me, I think they're going to have to, but that's honestly an answer I'll have to find out. Keepers updated. I'll try. OK, so it starts a week on Sunday. I don't think there's any clarification yet of when fans will be allowed back in the stadium. Not just yet, but it won't be for the first two games. But I do know that the non-league teams in men's games are allowed people back in the stadium soon, I believe. So I imagine there can't be much difference because of the stadiums the clubs play at. So just keep an eye out for the Everton women's team. Hopefully it's going to be a great season. Hopefully it's going to be an historic season. And, you know, just get behind, support them. Get behind them. They wear the same kit. They wear the same kit. Do you know what I mean? If you've already got the Everton kit, you're basically halfway there. Exactly. If you've got your season ticket as well, do you know what I mean? Also, I've just got to say when they played City the other day and because they haven't got the sponsor yet, they've got to wear this kit without the kazoo thing on it and just there's something without a sponsorless kit. Especially that kit, because it's such a traditional kit. This is an iron ball in it. Although they did wear blue socks, right? They did wear blue socks. But they look smart, don't they? They look very smart. So, yes, just keep an eye out for all the news. There's news all the time. They're like just shining players. It's like they've got Steve Walsh in charge. They're just shining players everywhere. Well, that's where it knows. That's a joke. That's a joke. That was just a joke. Say no more. I think if you want to check out in the build-up to the season, go on the club's website, look at the new signings that we've made, loads of internationals, a couple of you-fingolin players as well. Obviously Valerie Gavan. Just get to know the squad. Because I think that gets you more excited as well when you do a bit of research into the team. You find out a little bit more about them. But do you know what? If you get the chance to go to games, go because you will be invested in it then. You will be invested in the team. You will be right there. There'll be an investment right in it because you'll be there. I think the problem with the women's game is is that because the highlight is to shove to half-eleven on a Sunday night or whatever and you're not really bothered. But I think if you can make that trip when you can make that trip, to go and watch them, I think you'll be invested in it then. And once that dead card kicks off and the hair's in the back of your neck stand up and you're like, it's an evident team, I think all those issues will just melt away because all you... Listen, we've watched enough players from whatever level and everything, and we still support them. So you might just be pleasantly surprised by tearing up and going, it's evident, let's see what happens. And you could have a nice little cheap day out. That's it, exactly. Get down when it's safe to do so. And I always make the point of, as fans, we're often disgruntled by feeling sometimes that, like, we care so much. And I think, you know, whether right or wrong, we often have this thing of, it feels like they don't care as much as us, which isn't, you know, we're fans. But whenever you go and watch the girls, like, they care, let me tell you. And you can see in the way they play. And I feel as an Evertonian and the pride Evertonians get from seeing someone pull on that blue shirt and give it their all, you're going to get that every single time you go and watch the girls. And if that's not enough, then I don't know how to help you. There you go, keep it out. A week on Sunday. What date is that? I think it's the 5th or 6th of September. You might be watching this game after Sunday. It's like, yeah. It's the first Sunday in September, which is like the, I'm going to say the 6th. Right. So keep it out for Everton women's team. Get behind them. And hopefully we'll have Sarah during the season to give us more information. And let's get excited about the team. There you go. Make sure you check Sarah out on her channel as well. I'll put a link in the description to her channel. Check that out. I'll give us this video a like. Subscribe if you haven't already. If you want more great videos, join us over on page. And see you later.