BARROVIAN Aimee Everett took her club into the top division of English women's football as captain after a season that left her squad 'shocked.'
Everett, 22, plays for Crystal Palace as a midfielder and wears the number six shirt.
Going through the Blackburn Rovers academy, she joined the team in 2021 after a stint at Leicester City. She has also played internationally for England in youth squads.
Everett said the Eagles' promotion to the Barclays Women's Super League from the Championship was 'never in our sights' at the start of the season, which was her first as captain.
The team secured their place in the Super League with 46 points at the end of the 2023/24 season under manager Laura Kaminski after a goalless draw against Sunderland. They finished top of the Championship for the first time in the club's history.
They won 14 out of 22 games in what was a highly competitive season, with several teams gunning for a top place. In the end, Crystal Palace held a 23-goal difference over Charlton going into the final game against Sunderland.
READ MORE: Man United academy star Martha Allington scores goals for England U-16
Everett said: "We’ve always said that we would take it game by game, week by week, and never tried to look too far ahead. The WSL was never in our sights to start the season, but then I think it clicked about five games ago. We kind of sat down and we were like, right, come on, let’s go for it now.”
It is a long way from when she was sharing car rides with fellow Furness football star Georgia Stanway as a teenager.
Her mum Andrea Hodgson said they did 'many miles up and down the M6' when they were playing for youth academies. Everett even did an apprenticeship at the gas terminal in Rampside while trying to build up her football career.
"We were doing training three times a week, trying to hold a job down and going away with England," Andrea said.
Andrea said her daughter is on her current contract with Crystal Palace until 2025.
Asked why she was made captain in her early 20s, Andrea said: "She's always had an old head on her shoulders. They see a really good leader in her."
Everett also won an award at the end of the season from the Professional Footballers' Association for her work as a community champion for Crystal Palace.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here