Former Everton and England forward Toni Duggan has been reflecting on her career in an interview with Ashley Cole and Joe Cole
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 19: Toni Duggan of Everton warms up prior to the Barclays Women´s Super League match between Everton FC and Bristol City at Walton Hall Park on November 19, 2023 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)
Toni Duggan pictured during her time at Everton(Image: Jess Hornby/Getty Images)
Toni Duggan has revealed how members of the men’s first-team squad at Everton helped support her during her pregnancy. Duggan announced that she was pregnant in September 2022 and in November the same year it was confirmed that she would be the first player in the history of the Women’s Super League to take maternity leave.
The former England international would eventually return to competitive action in October 2023 after giving birth to her daughter.
In an interview with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole on the Could It Be Magic podcast, Duggan outlined some of the difficulties she faced when she learned of her pregnancy, including making up injuries to explain her lack of training and hiding the news from team-mates.
“I don't trust easy,” she said. “Like, I don't know if it's a Liverpool thing or whatever, but…and I was like, ‘No one can find out. Like, it would break my heart if my mum finds out through someone else.’ Me and my mum are like best mates.
“So, anyway, so we had a team-mate and I had to tell them. I cried [and] I was like, ‘I feel like I'm letting you down.’ But, it should have been the happiest time. And they were like, ‘Don't worry, we're happy for you! Really happy for you!’
“And then I had to wait till 12 weeks then. So, it was the, ‘I've got a back injury,’ so I had to, like, blag the girls every single day.”
Duggan added that she spent a lot of time in the gym at Finch Farm as a result and was in contact with the men’s team frequently.
“The lads on the Everton team throughout the whole pregnancy were absolutely amazing to me,” she said.
“That's one thing I can say. I know lads in football and they get a bad reputation for whatever reasons… You know, you read stuff and it’s not even half true. They get a bad reputation with like, maybe girls, women, anything like, whatever subject.
“But they were amazing to me. Like, honestly, that group of lads actually got me through because I was in the gym, so I spent more time with them than my actual team-mates.
“…Dom Calvert-Lewin’s girlfriend was pregnant at the time, so I was saying, ‘How's your girl? How’s she getting on? Like, what stage is that?’ And it was just nice to have them conversations during with, like…Seamus Coleman's always lovely so he'd say, ‘Where are we at now? How long left? Are you thinking of names?’ But, there was all of them, every single one of them was so supportive.”
Duggan would eventually leave Everton when her contract expired at the end of 2023-24 season and she announced her retirement in 2024.
Her first spell with Everton saw her win the FA Cup in 2010 and the League Cup in 2008.
She would later go on to play for Manchester City, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, as well as the England team on 79 occasions.