Holly McNamara has completed a move to Everton in the Women’s Super League, closing the book on her time at Melbourne City and opening a new one in England. Having had her contract with the Australian side expire, the 23-year-old forward joins on a free transfer and it marks the first time in her career that she is making the move outside Australia. Coming from a player who has established herself as a goalscoring machine in the A-League Women over the past five years, this is a huge move in that not only will she experience new football but it will also be a way for her to demonstrate that she can continue to score despite having to face a tougher, more physical defence weekly. Everton have put her in the number 9 shirt, a shirt steeped in history at Goodison Park.
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Holly McNamara Career Stats & Achievements
The numbers McNamara put on the board at Melbourne City don’t need explaining. In a five-season run in Melbourne, split by one season with APIA Leichhardt, she bagged 38 goals in 54 games – not exactly the worst goal-scoring record in any league. She followed up that by winning the A-League Women’s Golden Boot in two consecutive seasons, in 2024-25 and again in 2025-26, and being awarded the A-League Women’s Young Footballer of the Year award way back in 2021-22. It is the kind of CV that highlights progress and development, not just one great year.
This is perhaps the finest season she has had in her career. McNamara was part of the Melbourne City team that secured both the premiership and championship titles in the 2025-26 season. And as per FotMob’s Season stats, she led her team in terms of goals scored, goal-assists, and total goal contributions in the period. She has also played for the Australian women’s senior national football team – the Matildas, playing a role in the Australian squad that made it to the 2023 AFC Women’s Asian Cup final hosted by Australia. She was even selected to play in the Asian Cup squad back in 2022 but later suffered some knee problems.
What Holly McNamara Brings to Everton
Everton didn’t just sign any striker — they went out and got one who was reportedly wanted by several clubs across Europe and the United States. That’s worth pausing on, because it means the Toffees beat out genuine competition to land her signature, and it tells you plenty about how her stock has risen over the past couple of seasons. Everton’s technical director Nick Cox summed it up simply, describing McNamara as a proven goalscorer who’ll strengthen the club’s frontline, adding that she’s already tasted success and shown her qualities despite still being fairly early in her career.
McNamara is a part of a Toffees team that is reshaping their attacking game this summer, along with the arrival of McNamara comes the addition of Noémie Mouchon, Hannah Cain, Zara Kramžar and Jutta Rantala at Everton. In last season’s WSL competition, the team was eighth, but there were many positive things seen in the process, including their win over Chelsea, breaking the record of not losing for a long time held by the champions. It is worth noting that being given the number 9 jersey is indicative of the fact that McNamara will be a leading player at the club.
Reaction to the Transfer & Matildas Impact
McNamara herself seemed genuinely thrilled with the move, telling Everton TV it felt “unreal” to be at Goodison Park and that the club’s history was a big part of what drew her in. She also pointed to the standard of the WSL itself as a major factor, noting it’s widely regarded as the strongest women’s league in the world and that any team can beat any other on their day. That competitiveness is exactly the kind of test she’ll have been chasing after dominating domestically in Australia.
There’s also another, more general point that should be made. Now McNamara joins a growing number of Australians who are competing in the WSL; some of them include her teammate in the national team, Clare Wheeler, who plays for Everton, along with Mary Fowler, Caitlin Foord, Ellie Carpenter, Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney-Cross from various teams. The fact is that playing regularly in such competitions and against strong opponents can become the kind of experience that makes a player’s case stronger in terms of playing for the national team. As the Matildas prepare for their next tournament appearances, the WSL competition may prove to be as useful for McNamara on an international level as it is in the club environment.