Becky Easton

Becky Easton
Easton playing for Liverpool in July 2015
Personal information
Full name Rebecca Anne Easton[1]
Date of birth (1974-04-16) 16 April 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth Birkenhead, England
Position(s) Right back
Youth career
1988–1992 Rivacre Ladies
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1994 Leasowe Pacific
1994–1997 Liverpool Ladies
1997–2000 Everton Ladies
2000–2004 Doncaster Rovers Belles
2004–2012 Everton Ladies
2012–2015 Liverpool Ladies 31 (1)
2015–2016 Doncaster Rovers Belles 3 (0)
International career
England 44 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:24, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

Rebecca Anne Easton (born 16 April 1974)[2] is an English former footballer who played for Doncaster Rovers Belles, Everton and Liverpool.

Easton played as right-back and central midfielder and represented England at full international level.[3] Merseysider Easton has won league titles with both Everton and Liverpool.[4]

Club career

Easton joined Everton from Liverpool Ladies in 1997[5] and won the league title in her first season with The Blues. She had featured in Liverpool's FA Women's Cup final defeats in 1995 and 1996.[6]

Easton had a second spell with Everton having re-signed from Doncaster Rovers Belles in the 2004 close season,[7] where she had been captain.[8]

In 2012 Easton was released by Everton, but won a contract for the 2013 FA WSL season with Liverpool after a successful trial.[9]

With Easton in the team Liverpool won the league title in 2013 and 2014 but were much less successful in 2015, finishing second bottom. Her 2015 campaign was truncated by a broken arm.[10] Aged 41, she was among four players to be released by the club at the end of the season.[11]

In December 2015 Easton rejoined Doncaster Rovers Belles, where she would combine playing with a role as assistant general manager.[12] Doncaster lost their four opening games and were marooned at the foot of the WSL 1 table, when Easton left the club by "mutual consent" in the mid-season break, ostensibly to focus on her studies.[13]

International career

Easton represented England at senior level, playing in England's first ever FIFA Women's World Cup finals appearance in 1995, which ended with a 3–0 quarter-final defeat by Germany.[14]

In 2000, she was named as the Nationwide International Player of the Year, based on her consistency for the national team.[3]

She was allotted 104 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England’s inaugural international.[15][16]

Personal life

Easton worked as a podiatrist in Liverpool,[17] until she began full-time football training during her second spell with Liverpool. She also embarked on a master's degree in sports directorship at Manchester Metropolitan University.[18]

Easton is the cousin of comedian Paul O'Grady.[19] On 26 May 2016, she married former teammate Natasha Dowie.[20]

Honours

Club

Everton Ladies
Liverpool Ladies

References

  1. ^ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/02/2012 and 29/02/2012". TheFA.com. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  2. ^ "Becky Easton". Everton F.C. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b "England women player profiles". BBC Sport. 19 June 2001. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  4. ^ Cooke, Crippy (14 November 2017). "Daily Cannon Exclusive: Interview with former Liverpool and England defender Becky Easton". Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  5. ^ Davies, Pete (7 September 1997). "New year for Belles of the ball". The Independent. London. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  6. ^ Lavery, Glenn (1 May 2010). "Easton promise". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Everton signing spree". Fair Game. 19 July 2004. Retrieved 9 November 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Becky Easton interview". Women's Football News Archive. 22 May 2003. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  9. ^ "Becky Easton adds experience to the mix". She Kicks. 10 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  10. ^ Currie, Jo (31 August 2015). "Liverpool Ladies: Defender Becky Easton fractures arm". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  11. ^ "Liverpool Ladies: Becky Easton among four players released". BBC Sport. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  12. ^ "Doncaster Rovers Belles sign Becky Easton & Katrin Omarsdottir". BBC Sport. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Doncaster Rovers Belles: Natasha Dowie and Becky Easton leave club". BBC Sport. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  14. ^ "England go out to old rivals". The Independent. 14 June 1995. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  15. ^ "England squad named for World Cup". The Football Association. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  16. ^ Lacey-Hatton, Jack (18 November 2022). "Lionesses introduce 'legacy numbers' for players past and present". mirror. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  17. ^ Emma Thompson (16 October 2010). "Article: Helping people get back on their feet; Rebecca Easton, podiatrist My Day: Rebecca Easton, podiatrist from NHS Liverpool Community Health, based at Latham Court with the Out of Hospital Service. This is her day ...(Features)". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 February 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  18. ^ Currie, Jo (29 April 2015). "Becky Easton: Liverpool defender not ready to retire at 41". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  19. ^ "Meet the ladies in red". Liverpool FC.
  20. ^ Twitter : wedding photographs, friends evoking clearly their marriage, "Wedding" says Natasha; Instagram : best post wedding photograph
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Becky Easton.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Doncaster Rovers Belles captain
2001–2004 		Succeeded by