FANS COMMENT

The Future

I've just read the Echo report concerning the latest developments in Everton's new stadium saga. The proposed site is available to view in all it's glory on Google Earth. Type in Cherryfield Avenue [Cherryfield Drive? — Ed], Kirkby and there it is.

From a purely economic point of view it looks ideal: brilliant access, loads of space (even room for a pony) and not too far from the local town centre, which I know fairly well. Zoom out a touch and Goodison soon comes into view; it's not that far away.(Couldn't walk to Kirkby from the Winslow though.)

I suppose( if there is any substance to this report) we would have to move to wherever Tesco wanted us to go anyway but what a dreary prospect this seems to be.

I am not a businessman and I have no substantive idea about how having a new stadium automatically brings in more cash outside of attracting big games, getting more people in and having facilities that can be utilised seven days a week. Nevertheless, I agree with John Molyneux's post; we can't allow our glorious past and our personal attachments to it — to Goodison and to the locality we have all shared — to prevent the Club from moving forward.

If we have to move — and we surely do according to those who know more than I — though, why couldn't it be to a site with the status of the Kings Dock? Any move away from Goodison will have its sadness, but if the procession was heading towards the Kings Dock (or something like it because that has gone now) our arrival would be greeted with a trumpet fanfare and the party would begin!

I've nothing against Kirkby — I have family there — but would a move to Kirkby really be a step forward for Everton? We would arrive to a flute solo?

Wherever we go, why is the capacity being restricted to 55,000? Aren't we confident that we would be able to fill a ground any bigger? The FA, Uefa and Fifa are greedy bastards and if big games were liable to be considered for the area they would surely choose a 60,000 capacity ground a few miles away.

I just don't know; I just feel that somewhere near the River — Speke perhaps — would be nearer the soul. This would have the advantage of being very close to the new Academy and Training facilities. But there's an Asda a half mile away and a Morrisons currently being constructed even nearer. Is this why Speke was ignored? Are Everton leading this project or following?

Responses:

To be honest, I don't think we are confident we could fill a ground bigger than 55,000 and it's an awfully big gamble to take on something we really can't accurately predict. Manchester United and Arsenal knew from massive demand for tickets and regularly sold-out games that they would need in excess of 60,000 seats.

We, of course, do not automatically sell the full complement of season tickets each season at Goodison and the 4,000 seats with obstructed views mean that we rarely sell out our current 40,000 capacity.

The only thing that might guarantee us selling 60,000+ tickets is sustained success to compete with that of the current "big four", and while a new stadium is an attempt at building towards that future success, gambling on 60,000+ would be putting the cart before the horse.

Other than that, I share your concerns.
Lyndon Lloyd

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