IN-DEPTH NEWS

Big Dunc Casts His Vote

11 Aug 2007

Duncan Ferguson: "If you were to take Everton out of the City, Everton FC could no longer call itself the ‘People’s Club’"

Goodison Idol Casts His Vote — a Resounding "No" to Kirkby


Duncan Ferguson has re-iterated his support for the campaign to keep Everton in Liverpool by casting an emphatic "No" in the ballot on the Kirkby Project. The Blues idol, who scored 72 goals in 272 appearances for the club between 1994 and 2006, told "Keep Everton In Our City" (KEIOC): “Like I said at the beginning of the campaign, if you were to take Everton out of the City, Everton FC could no longer call itself the ‘People’s Club’.

"The best memory I have of my time at the club was when I scored my first goal in the derby game on 21 November 1994. It was then that I realised what fanatical support the club has. After the game I headed into the City centre and my journey took me along County Road, Walton Road and then Scotland Road.

"The sight was simply awesome — a sea of blue and white. I had no idea that so many people in the City supported the Blues. I had come down from Glasgow, another city renowned for its football fanaticism, but I truly had never before witnessed what I witnessed in the City on that night.”

Ferguson is eligible to vote simply because he is a supporter — the two season tickets he bought for the Platinum Lounge last season entitle him to a vote.

Furthermore, during his playing days for the club, he paid for corporate boxes for his Evertonian family and friends.

Duncan initially came out against the proposed relocation to Kirkby back in April when he backed the KEIOC campaign and he remains opposed to moving the club he took to his heart out of the city of Liverpool.

Everton FC insist that no "deliverable" alternatives to Kirkby exist but work by Liverpool City Council and Bestway is on-going on formulating a proposal for a stadium for Everton at the "tunnel loop" site off Scotland Road. They called for Everton to take part in talks over the viability of the site. Bestway's Head of Property, Malcolm Carter, said: “We would be delighted to have the opportunity to sit down with Everton and outline how we see a stadium development on the loop site progressing."

The results of the ballot of fans on the Kirkby Project are expected to be released on or shortly after 28th August.

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