A Big Year For… Gabs’ Burning Bright (Gabby George interview)

At nineteen, Everton defender Gabby George is preparing for a third season at the club as Andy Spence returns to plot promotion back to WSL 1. She credits Spence with developing young players and with giving her chances from seventeen, including a start in the 2014 FA Cup final against Arsenal. She found WSL 2 markedly different, with direct opponents sitting in blocks, and says the tactical side of senior football is what she is still learning. Lindsay Johnson, a fellow centre-back now on the coaching staff, has been her key influence. George also reveals a serious athletics background, ranked ninth in Britain at 300m, which she gave up only when it began to clash with football.