Captain Everett looks ahead to season opener

Women

25 Aug 2023

At 22-years-old, Aimee Everett might not have expected herself to be wearing the captain’s armband on Sunday – but is ready to embrace the challenge.

After recording back-to-back top five finishes in the Championship, Crystal Palace Women launch their push for promotion against Reading on Sunday 27th August (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Head coach Laura Kaminski’s side will play their home matches at Sutton United’s VBS Community Stadium this season, kick-starting a new era for the club.

And with giant games, face-painting, video game stations, a DJ, and competitions and prizes, there’ll be no place like home come Sunday.

But for Everett, a proud moment awaits, as she eagerly anticipates leading her side out the tunnel – and into a bright new future…

On taking on the Palace captaincy…

“I’m going into my third season at the club now, so it’s a huge honour for me to take the captaincy, especially at my age. I’m excited to get going, and hopefully it’s a role which will help me progress in my career.

“When I first came in, Annabel [Johnson] was one of the players who took me under her wing, and I have big shoes to fill. She’s done a great job in the two seasons I’ve played under her – I couldn’t have asked for a better captain to play under.

“She has a huge presence off the pitch, and I’ll be looking to her to help me in that and point me in the right direction.”

On pre-season preparations…

“We’re coming to the end of pre-season now. It’s been a great six weeks with the girls, with new faces and the new managers coming in as well. There’s a real buzz around the training ground and just a huge excitement to get going.

“It’s been a tough pre-season in some ways. The World Cup has been on so lots of teams have been away, but with the games we’ve had, we’ve just focused on ourselves each game.

“We’ve got the results, but it’s the performances which are more important, and they have been improving each game.”

On the move to the VBS Community Stadium…

“It’s super exciting. We’ve a new ground and the pitch is immaculate, so we’re looking forward to our first game there on Sunday.

“We went there last week, had a look around and got a feel for it. Straight away, it felt like we were at home. Once we start playing there, I think we’ll grow into it even more.

“We’ll be playing on a grass pitch and the feel is just completely different. They’ve done a really good job on the pitch. It just shows that each season we’re growing and growing and really heading in the right direction.”

On Palace’s new signings…

“All four of our new signings are settling in well. I’ve known Lia [Cataldo] from previous clubs – I grew up playing with her – but all of our signings have settled in well and really fit in with the club culture. They all bring something different which the team needs.

“I’ve been playing alongside Hayley [Nolan] a lot, position-wise. She’s very calm, and both her and Shanade [Hopcroft] bring a lot of experience. They were both at London City Lionesses and they both have the mentality needed to go and win games, which I think they’ve brought with them. Keira [Barry] is a really exciting young player, too.”

On Palace’s new head coach, Laura Kaminski…

“I’ve worked with Laura a couple of times through the England youth set-up and, with her coming in, I couldn’t have asked more. She’s fitted in perfectly. All the girls love her and she’s helped create a really positive environment to be in.

“She’s just brought out what we’re all already good at and given us that little bit of confidence. The ability is already there, and she’s bringing it out of us. She wants us to focus on ourselves. We’re a footballing team and we like to play.

“Training each day, there’s always that happy environment to be in. The competitiveness is there, but everyone’s enjoying it, and there’s a really good feeling at the minute.

On the challenge of facing Reading…

“Reading have just come down from the Women’s Super League, so they might have a little point to prove. They’ll be a good side. I think they’ll come at us with a lot of energy and a high tempo, and it’s something we’ll need to deal with.

“There’s not a better team to have our first game against. With them coming down from the Super League, it’s a good test to see where we’re at coming out of pre-season.”

On the prospect of a big crowd on Sunday…

“We had a few games last season when we had big crowds in. Hopefully, we can keep those coming this season, and gain a few more fans who haven’t been before.

“If you’ve not come down before, please do – you’ll meet all the girls afterwards, and hopefully it’ll be a good game we put on for you.

“It’s been a huge World Cup and I’m sure everyone’s been watching it. At the minute, women’s football is on the rise, and hopefully coming off the back of that World Cup, fans who have been watching on TV will look to us to come and watch a game in person.”

On her hopes for the new season…

“A lot of change has happened this summer – so my hopes aren’t necessarily on where we finish in the table, but about continuing to grow as a team, improving our performances week-in, week-out.”

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