Everton Ladies have announced Gabby George as their first full-time professional, awarding the defender a new two-year contract.
The news comes after Everton were chosen to fill the vacant Women's Super League One slot. This was left vacant in April, following the folding of Notts County Ladies on the eve of the WSL One Spring Series season. After this decision, the club decided to transition into a full-time organisation.
The Toffees were one of the founding teams of the Women's Super League in 2011, before their 2014 relegation to the second tier and finished top of the WSL 2 Spring Series table in May. Andy Spence's side won seven of their nine Spring Series fixtures, finishing four points ahead of second-place Doncaster Rovers Belles.
Career to date
George has committed her future to the Blues and the defender believes Everton can now "develop and become stronger on and off the pitch”.
The 20-year-old arrived at Everton in 2014 and has since made 43 appearances, including every match in this year's Spring Series, scoring one goal during her tenure.
Previously of Manchester City's Centre of Excellence, George ironically made her Everton debut against Notts County in the 2014 WSL 1 season and increasingly impressed throughout the campaign. As a 17-year-old, she collected Player of the 6th Round in the FA Women's Cup in her debut season, following her fine performance against reigning FA Women's Super League champions Liverpool.
The youngster has shown great promise so far in her buddy career and is "excited about going full time" after proclaiming that the recent developments have "been the [club's] goal for the last two years".
George added, "It’s a great feeling to go full-time. This is a big step for us. I signed for Everton four years ago and we’ve seen other teams go full-time. It was something I wanted to do personally and now that I’ve got the opportunity to do it, I’m very excited ".