OUR CITY – OUR FUTURE – OUR CLUB

All Evertonians will know that our bid for Kings Dock is the best thing to happen to our club in recent years.

If we win, it will be the greatest uplift to morale since the great Howard Kendall teams of the eighties.

We all love Goodison Park but it is time to move on. The existing site cannot be developed to meet the aspirations of a modern first class club. If we hesitate now it could be many years before we manage to restore ourselves to the forefront of the game. It is up to each and every one of us to do our best to support our bid for the Kings Dock site. The competing bids are being marked NOW.

It is not enough to hope or assume that our bid will be treated fairly, even though it is easily the best proposal for the city. There are other factors in play, not least vested financial interests. If you assume you can leave this to the so-called Kings Dock Forum and its members you are wrong. At the time of writing we do not even have ALL the names, including “advisers”, allegedly participating in the Forum. Nor have we been told HOW they will mark each bid or what opportunity we will have to make our views known. This kind of secrecy has nothing whatever to do with democratic decision-making. Already the final decision date has been postponed.

Nor can we look to the local press for their full support. We all know how the Echo and the Daily Post have dealt with this matter. They have no intention of supporting our bid despite years of complaining the city has no multi-purpose arena. Our bid provides one in a superb setting and with an outstanding architectural concept - much better than any of the other bids. Yet still they undermine our bid by silence. As Elia Wheeler Wilcox said, “To sin by silence makes cowards of men.” In fact those who oppose our bid depend upon silence from our supporters.

So you need to make your voice heard and your opinion respected. You can do this by letter, fax, e-mail, phone-in and personal representation through the following targets:

(a) The Kings Dock Forum. To each participant.

(b) Politicians. To local and national politicians. Councillors, MPs, ministers.

(c) Media. To local and national radio, TV and press.

Do not under-estimate the possible effect of you engaging the issue. The more voices we have, the better our chances. But you must be clear and articulate. Anything less will not help our bid. A suggested letter format is overleaf along with a suggested contact list.

We urge you to get involved NOW. It will be useless complaining afterwards. Remember, our opponents depend upon your silence or apathy.

We will never have a better chance to refresh our club and to restore our rightful place in the game. We have to demonstrate our ambition and determination.

REMEMBER:

OUR CITY – OUR FUTURE – OUR CLUB

TYPICAL LETTER

Dear :

Over the next few months a decision of great importance will be taken for the city of Liverpool and the North West region as a whole with respect to the development plans for the Kings Waterfront site, one of the finest waterfront development areas in Europe.

The planning brief for the Kings Dock development from English Partnerships requested a "world-class facility" and the Liverpool Vision framework calls for a "major attraction of international significance".  Liverpool City Council Leader Mike Storey echoed this recently saying the site "deserves a stunning development".  I believe only the Houston Securities bid, including Everton Football Club and SFX, meets the stated aims of English Partnerships, Liverpool Vision and Liverpool City Council.

This bid is centred around a multi-purpose year-round Arena that will serve everyone throughout the region and, indeed, nationally, drawing acts and events that might otherwise not come to Britain at all or only ever visit London.  It is complementary to the history, culture and commercial needs of the city and builds upon things for which the city enjoys a positive global reputation.  Liverpool is known as a city of music and sport - this bid plays to those strengths whilst holding out the prospect of much more besides.  The Arena could become home to a month long 'Proms North', a major EU / UN conference, the 3 tenors, a European cup final - the possibilities are endless.  The Arena truly could and should be the jewel in the cultural crown of Liverpool's 800th birthday celebrations in 2007 and its bid to be European City of Culture 2008.

It is the only bid that is led by a major local concern (Everton FC), and that is a vitally important point for many residents (and not just for the estimated 250,000 fans of the club in the city and its immediate environs or the 500,000+ supporters nationwide).  A recent poll on the local papers showed that this bid enjoys overwhelming popular support amongst the people of the city. Everton FC needs to be given this opportunity if one of the city's oldest, and most loved institutions is not to risk decline and permanent obscurity. This is a risk that many local people see as mirroring the fate of the city as a whole.  If one of the other uninspired and formulaic bids is chosen Liverpool will have missed its golden opportunity for inner-city regeneration and severely damaged a club held dear to the hearts of at least half the local electorate.  It will be seen as the city turning its back on its own, neglecting its historic successes and dismissing the passionate wishes and interests of the people.  Forgiveness for those individuals and organisations involved is likely to be in short supply.

Regrettably some of the other recent developments in the area are regarded by many locals and visitors alike as either eyesores (e.g. the custom's building) or simply not noteworthy.  This is a golden opportunity to redress this and to give a site of such unique importance and merit a true international landmark for its centrepiece - enhancing Liverpool's magnificent waterfront and ensuring it international fame to compete with e.g. Sydney.  This bid offers a  'palace' on the waterfront that truly carries the torch into the future for an area that was historically of such crucial commercial and cultural significance for the nation.

I want Liverpool to be able to shrug off the unfair negative image it has and stand tall and proud again on the world stage. I genuinely believe the Houston Securities bid, and this bid alone, can be a catalyst for the kind of urban regeneration, sustainable wealth creation and surge in civic pride that we would all like to see.

I hope that you can see the unique opportunity the Houston Securities bid offers to the city, the region and indeed the nation as a magnificent venue for cultural attractions, European conferences and major international sporting events. We await and expect your full and active support.

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LIST OF CONTACTS

Produced by 'Everton for Kings Dock', a grouping of independent supporters, independent shareholders, fanzines and other Everton groups united by the club's bid for Kings Dock.

For more details of how you can help, email us at
efc@kingsdock.mailbox.as