Southport majority shareholder Ian Kyle has thanked Everton for helping to get their pitch back into shape after their Women’s Super League side and U23s played at Haig Avenue this season.
The U23s regularly played at the National League North club’s home and Everton Women last used it January when they hosted Chelsea in the women’s top flight.
Kyle told the Liverpool Daily Echo on Wednesday that a number of senior figures at Goodison Park had helped them complete the same specialist procedures on the pitch they’d carried out last summer since all football was suspended in March.
“Everton have been involved massively since we started the project this time last year,” Kyle told the paper’s website. “From day one, we got in touch with Everton and said obviously you will be playing on it as well, so any input you have or want to help us with or have a say in let us know now.
“They were great from day one. The club secretary at Everton, David Harrison, got involved straight away. He came down, looked through the plans with us, went away and discussed it with David Unsworth and Bob Lennon the [Goodison] head groundsman.
“They gave us their input on the kind of thing to look for, the kind of thing to take into account and as it went on Bob, who is from Southport, was calling in on a regular basis and seeing how the job was getting on and what was being done.
“Dave Harrison was on the end of the phone if he didn’t call down himself to help us and have input. David and Bob helped us, on a daily basis, and put us in touch with pitch consultants PSD who held our hand a little bit and carried out tests to find out what else needed doing. That’s all with the backing and assistance of David and Bob.”
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