In 2002, in his first press conference as Everton manager, David Moyes called Everton “The People’s Club”. It is fair to say that the club has lived up to the name so many times. But one time in particular shows exactly why they deserve the moniker.
In 2011, the charity “Everton in the Community” released by a book detailing the stories from Everton supporters. Some included times when Everton gave their supporters an experience they will never forget. Come hither Mags Fuller and her daughter, Megan.
Mags Fuller from South Milford in North Yorkshire said she became an Everton supporter when she was on a nurse training course in Kent. Another trainee nurse was an Everton supporter, who moved from Liverpool to Kent for the course. Her love for Everton was so great, she wore an Everton shirt in all the lectures she attended. However, she developed cancer and it started to spread, and she accepted that she wasn’t going to beat it. So she gave her beloved Everton shirt to Mags and asked her to support Everton after she died, saying “Once Everton has touched you, you’ll never be the same.” RIP Julie Hall.
Mags Fuller stuck to Julie’s promise and became an ardent Everton supporter. Her daughter decided to become an Everton supporter too, and Mags said her daughter’s bedroom was turned into an Everton shrine. However, she then spoke about a shocking incident involving her daughter.
A couple of years ago, something dreadful happened to my daughter: it emerged she had been groomed by a paedophile and we went through absolute hell. The police child support staff said that I should try and do something really special for her, something that would take her mind off things – but being a single mum without much money, it was difficult, and I knew I wasn’t in a position to do much.
Mags decided to do something special for her daughter, so she contacted Everton in order to give her a signed photo of her favourite player, Tim Cahill. Everton agreed, but they didn’t stop there.
I received a call from a lady called Sue Palmer, David Moyes’ personal assistant – I was gobsmacked when she said who she was and even more gobsmacked with what followed. She told me that the Everton manager had read the letter, and that the football club was horrified by what Megan had been through, she went on today that the club wanted to do something more than just send a signed picture, and we were both invited up to see the Blues’ match against Stoke City, where I was told Megan would be introduced to the players – I was totally stunned.
Megan didn’t know anything about it this. She was none the wiser right up to match day. Mags told Megan that they would be going to Goodison Park, but only to “soak up the match atmosphere and visit the club shop.” But as the day went on, Megan became suspicious. She knew something was going on after a photographer introduced himself to her:
You must be Megan. We’ve heard what a very brave girl you’ve been.
They were then led out towards the Goodison pitch for a photo shoot. At that moment, the players arrived – the first being Tim Cahill.
He walked up to us, put his arms around Megan kissed her on the cheek, and said, “You must be Megan!” It was that exact moment that my beautiful daughter got her smile back. That day changed her from being a girl scared to sleep on her own, or even go out of the house, someone who rarely smiled or laughed because of what she had been through, into the happiest girl imaginable.
That day, Tim Cahill, and Everton as a whole, turned Megan’s life around with just one simple kind gesture. It also cemented Mags and Megan’s love for Everton and their reputation as the People’s Club.
I will never be able to thank Everton Football Club enough for what they did for us that day, a day that proved to me why they are called the People’s Club. I love you, Everton, and I always will.
And they also had a picture with Tim Cahill, to give themselves something to treasure forever.
Mags Fuller has since become a devotee to raising money for charity. She has ran in the Great North Run in 2012 and raised over £200 for Macmillan Cancer Support on her JustGiving page. In 2014, she ran in the Liverpool Half-Marathon and raised over £270 for Parkinson’s UK on her Virgin Money Giving page.
There is nothing about how Megan is doing (from what I could find). But I’m sure that she still thinks about her special day everyday, and how proud she is to be an Everton supporter.