Centre-half Fern Whelan was recruited during the summer of 2005 from neighbours Liverpool.
 
After a string of commanding performances in the Everton back-line during the 2007/08 campaign, she was crowned the FA Young Player of the Year.

Fern has featured for England right through from Under-15s to Under-23 level - captaining her country in the UEFA under-19s European Championships, and during the Under-20s World Cup in 2008. 

She has six caps for England at under-23s level and received her first call-up to the senior squad in October 2009.

Fern came on as a substitute in Everton's FA Women's Cup win over Arsenal in May 2010, and in the following season Whelan featured heavily in Everton's 2010/11 Women's Champions League campaign.

She made her senior debut for England as an 87th-minute substitute in the 2-0 win over Sweden in a pre-World Cup friendly in May 2011, but was not named in Hope Powell's 21-women squad for the tournament in Germany. 

So far, Fern has played in every game of the Blues' 2011 FA Women's Super League campaign.