Move to Everton Stadium set for 2025-26 season

It's been "known" for ages that it wouldn't be a mid-season move. 😉

We could have done with the much-needed extra income sooner.

I imagine all Goodison Park games in 2024-25 will be full of emotions for every Evertonian.

I reckon every game we delay playing at BMD will be missed income of well over £1M, perhaps nearer £2M.

It was "known" a fair time ago that a mid-season move wouldn't work or happen, not least because BMD wouldn't be ready by then.

New season optimism allied with the brand new state-of-the-art fabulous stadium on the banks of the Mersey.

Much better than half-way through the season.

That's where most of Salford Reds (rugby team) get their income from as their stadium is right next to the M60, and the main stand has brilliant corporate facilities.

I still feel we need the extra money coming in sooner.

We will need all the help that we can get to avoid playing ‘away' every week.

Everton, that.

Spurs had already sold their extra season tickets to fans who were accommodated in Wembley Stadium until the new stadium was ready. Our club doesn't have that facility. Therefore accommodating an extra 13,000 fans will be much more challenging.

Also, Spurs were using the same site as their old stadium with the same transport links. We will be moving to a new site with many fans required to find new routes and means of travel to and from the stadium. It would have made no sense to do this in mid-season. For once someone in football has put the interests of fans in front of money-grabbing.

Lengthening a project usually increases rather than reduces costs. It also increases risks.

As an aside, on a recent thread about the Crystal Palace cup-tie, the posts went off-topic onto the future of “The Archibald Leitch Trusses”, the iconic timber and iron work on the front of the Bullens Road and Gwladys Street stands.

I have been assured by a senior member of the Regeneration Team that they are very much aware of the historic nature of Goodison Park, its importance to all Evertonians, and the sensitivities around former supporters' ashes that have been spread at the side of the pitch. Such matters will be dealt with sympathetically, and will be subject to consultations with fans.

A club who are skint living week by week from loan sharks decide to leave a brand new facility that'll generate income unused for the best part of a year!

And maybe even weirder if it's used for events before we actually play a game.

The release states it's not due to delays but will give us time to stress test the stadium... well if that's part of the plan then that's a delay!

As for the Archibald Leitch trusses, let's move on. It's not Victorian England anymore.

Everton (despite what we think) are no different to other clubs. I just want Everton to be a competing and, yes, a modern club before I die. All we ever hear about is history.

I guess it will be when we find a name sponsor. I'm not holding my breath on that.

In the meantime, it will be known as the Everton Stadium.

Once it is up to capacity, should also give official members a try before you buy, so that when the new season starts, all season ticket holders and those on the waiting list will have plenty of time, moving mid-season would be a minefield for allocating additional season tickets.

I don't care if they host a JLS concert, or even the works of Shakespeare read out, as long as I can be there to test the stadium out, I'm happy to sit in the new stadium for testing, if required.

Everton's 12-stage construction plan for new Bramley-Moore dock stadium in full.

This shows it was a 150-week project. Given we started in the summer of 2021, it should, if on schedule, be completed in the summer of 2024 so it seems the assurances that everything was on schedule may have been a little “optimistic”.

If we can't officially move in before August 2025, hopefully the commercial functions can at least start to generate money sooner.

If it is indeed finished by the end of 2024, as promised, then it seems the height of utter madness to leave it empty and idle for games during 6 to 8 months and spurn the increased income it would otherwise bring — but this is so typical for a club that only knows how to spend money and not, it seems, how to make money.

Or should that be overspend to the point of excess losses, breaching of PSR, and points deduction? Lessons learnt? The incompetence continues.

Therefore we should call it the RBM stadium or by its FULL name "The Royal Blue Mersey Stadium" – boy would that piss a lot of Redshites off!!!!

Yes, so true, and don't get me wrong – my best days were in the 80s and the absolute brilliant teams we had then.

But I was still at school and therein lies the problem, it was a long time ago. We all need something for now and the future.

At a guess, you're probably talking March, by which point it would be a case of moving in with a few weeks left of the 2024-25 season. From a sentimental point of view, it would be better to give Goodison a proper send-off but, speaking purely economically, it probably would make sense to play the last, say, dozen matches in the new ground.

Didn't we lose twelve months, due to covid or was it due to having to fill in the dock in the first place? I just seem to remember a 12 month delay to the start of the project somewhere along the way.

This will be, despite the club trying to say the opposite, a delay in opening the new place, because we might have to restructure the monthly payments, which of course means the remaining work will take longer than was anticipated. Therefore the new place won't be standing idle for six months, when it's eventually completed.

I do hope they keep the concessions for O.A.P.s as by the time the new ground opens, I will be of an age to qualify.

As John says at 27, the project is late!

Everton new stadium timeline as club breaks ground at Bramley-Moore Dock

That would be appropriate if we played in Royal Blue.
When was the last time we played a Season in Royal Blue?
The shirt colours have been anything but 'Royal Blue' over the years.

Can we have our true shirt colour back please.

I would offer a suggestion to the club though.

How about as part of the 'stress testing', why not, as soon as the safety certificate allow's it, televise the games being played at Goodison on big screens at the BMD stadium?

Allow fans to buy 'discounted' tickets, and have access to the hospitality, corporate and fan amenity areas, so as to test the stadium as if a 'live' game was being played.

That way, any snags can get worked out prior to proper live games.

Additionally, you'd then get the revenue from the actual game at Goodison, and additional revenue from BMD.

Also, it would mean, people who can't get season tickets get a chance to experience the stadium in as close to a game environment as is possible, before it is allocated with the proper season ticket holders?

Just an idea?

Firstly, I know the Premier League were not happy about Tottenham starting at Wembley and switching to their new ground part way through a season. How many games did Spurs play at Wembley? Four, five ….?

Secondly, even if the stadium is ready on time, is the supporting infrastructure in place? For instance, where is the car park to be situated which will support the number of fans accessing what actually is a fairly poorly served location?

Loss of income notwithstanding, the delay in moving to the start of the 2025-26 season seems quite sensible to me.

That would be another idea for my suggestion @ [36], it would test the accessibility, and transport links etc.

Win for testing the stadium
Win for testing the transport infrastructure
Win for allowing fans to experience the stadium before the team plays there full time
Win for additional income

Once a hard place to for visiting teams to come but no more.

The last 25 seasons have been some of the most challenging in the club's history, culminating in the last two skin-of-our-teeth escapes.

I'm convinced that, once we move, our fortunes will change for the better, I'm convinced of that.

I've had some great days and nights at the Old Lady, but I for one will be glad to see the back of the place.

Footnote: even the greatest chippy in the city, the Supper Bar, has changed hands, just not the same.

How many do we have on the season ticket waiting list? Last I heard it was around 24,000.

So why not open the new stadium on the remaining home games, for those on the waiting lists, official members, and general open sale, and have the match beamed on a big screen at Bramley-Moore Dock at a reduced price, but at the same time — it will put it through proper tests, and bring some revenue in.

Just a thought.

I've just seen the news about the new stadium, which I think is a better idea than moving mid-season.

Also, is the ground actually called Everton Stadium?

Excellent point. Having recently returned to Liverpool and visited the construction of the new stadium, one thing I questioned was: Where are the fans going to park and what logistics will be in place to move the fans to and from the stadium?

Hopefully, when I return to Liverpool again for season 2025-26, the logistics will be in place.

No name for the new stadium yet but, given the monies involved, I suspect it will be something pretty commercial.

However, there will always be change, especially when buildings become old, and I think Goodison has been a great servant to the fans.

It makes sense not to throw good money after bad when, in this age, many new stadiums are being built with multi entertainment attractions.

We all hope that one more year will see Everton close out the Premier League in style in readiness for the new home.

West stand, level 3 block 4.

Can't bloody wait!

So – always assuming that, after 8(?) years on the season ticket waiting list, they ever get back to me.

Which is it to be?

Brian @41;

>Careful now, you'll be getting a bit a reputation as a dangerous free thinker.

Michael @ 28; there is no guarantee that it will be finished by the end of 2024. If the incoming stadium money slows down – which is possible, then the building work will too.

Surely we can accommodate a chunk of non-season ticket holders as well? Makes sense to me, but as I said…

I would hope though that they could get a few commercial activities taking place there as well as concerts to generate a bit of income.

If we don't have the cash to finish the stadium, then better not sell those seats. Best give an extra 12 months breathing room to see if we can even move.

As Tottenham were one of my clients at the time, they explained that they had to do a few test runs before the grand opening, so I get that. This involved the U23s (as was then) playing in front of 20,000 supporters.

There's such a thing as the contractor construction schedule which is then handed over to the client (EFC) and then the clients responsibilities in getting the facility licensed for use.

Neither seem to be delayed according to this statement.

Those functions you mention would be part of the contractor testing and commissioning of the stadium to prove that everything is fit for purpose and is included in the contractor completion schedule.

But as a public facility, and especially one that will hold 50,000 people every few weeks, the club will have to prove to the government regulators that they can operate and control all functions and provide safety for the facility users. That's something not in the contractor remit.

So excited to think of the first game there – and haha, it will provide some extra time to pay the final three instalments on my x2 West Stand tickets!!

COYB

Not really my forte, but one thing that definitely concerns me about our new stadium is the wall along the perimeter of Regent Road that has now become a listed building.

It's very tight, so I'm hoping there is going to be much better entrance and exit points at both the north and south end of the stadium, because it's not going to be a very pleasant experience entering and exiting the stadium otherwise.

Although there have been many changes within the club, personally, professionally, financially and no doubt more to come, it's still happening.

And whilst Bill Kenwright will always divide fans, personally, I feel it's a shame that he won't at least see one game at the new stadium.

I lost my own Dad last February. He'd been a fan since 1940 and was hoping to get to the new stadium. Wasn't to be, but I'll have a drink to him when I get there!

From what I have been told by people involved with the new stadium, the whole experience is going to be very impressive, a 7-day-a-week destination, not just a place to go to the match. If the timescales are met, I would expect some of this to become operational before the first League games are played there.

The current thinking for the Goodison Legacy Project is still for a commercially viable mix of housing, health, education and social facilities, and it is there that I am hoping for some acknowledgment of the history of the site will be made.

All this, of course, will be subject to whoever owns the club and money being available As we all know, that question is very much up in the air.

Leave a fully finished useable asset lying dormant for months on end. Do they never learn?

I mean who wants to move in mid-season?? I for one think it should be ASAP. But they know better… NOT!!!

I even think, despite sponsorship, the Etihad is still often referred to as the City of Manchester Stadium.

As much as we love our home city, I don't think that would sit well with the masses!!

I've given my opinion on the naming of the stands.

I've watched the footage regularly, Tony, as that stadium has risen from the water. I hope we don't end up with an Arsenal and Tottenham scenario. Those stadiums are an absolute nightmare to get away from.

I might be overthinking, but I also worry that a few supporters may fall into the dock. In places it looks awfully close to the water on the external concourses!!

UEFA don't allow for stadiums to be 'sponsored' when the teams are being shown on TV, so it's The City of Manchester Stadium, The Arsenal Stadium.

The Everton Stadium works for me when playing European matches

I'm a genius aren't I? I've just made the club extra revenue, helped them pass the stadium stress tests, and I've only been out of bed for an hour and a half!

Similar thoughts further up, unless I am missing something…

More importantly the stadium and surroundings can be fully completed and ready. You would think that the club will be able to use the facilities once signed off.

For the money side of things, at the end of the day if we can collect some prize money from cup runs and from finishing high up the table, and not throw it away on poor player deals, then the loss in new stadium income while dormant can probably be managed.

I still can't really believe that we're going to be leaving Goodison, but looking at the new stadium now (compared with the Tesco flat-pack nightmare of the past) it's awesome.

The Everton Stadium would be great, but unfortunately I can't see it happening. Bramley-Moore would also be great.

Andy #39, unfortunately that's the truth, in decades of games.

It might just be my experience, but at the Emirates and Highbury, I know there are tube stations nearby, but we seem to get channeled in a certain direction.

As for the naming rights of the stadium, well Spurs still haven't sold naming rights to their stadium and according to Daniel Levy it will have to be a huge offer to tempt them. I always worry that having seen many teams move to new stadiums it seems to take years before the atmosphere is anything like it was at the old stadium. I think its also worth remembering that the fans still don't know what prices they will be charged for different places in the new stadium, as well as fans wanting to pick their seats for the new stadium.
Then we come on to my big worry, which is there looks to be a very narrow access to get 52,000 in and out of the ground, at Goodison there are multiple exits. Also someone mentioned car parking I think even if they build a car park it wont be able to hold a third of those attending the game, and getting in and out after a game would be a nightmare. I suggested long ago that they build a landing pier on the river outside the ground and they could have ferries from the Wirral and maybe a park and ride like at the open golf.

The first match at Goodison was apparently against Bolton.

Link from the club website:

Link

Wanderers preseason it is then.

If this is the case, it's probably the case for the stadium too. Where Laing O'Rourke are contracted to providing the basic shell or blank canvas for Everton to continue with. This would make sense with the fixed costs that were agreed. Now with all the uncertainty at the club right now, an extra 8 months to sort out ownership issues along with further funding for the fit out, would be very useful. I believe this is the reason for the delay because nothing else makes any sense.

Who cares?

Bottom line: It is one of the best stadiums in the world by location.

Anfield? Ha!

If we play well, win and change the view of us, I think this could change so much for us.

"Bill Kenwright Stadium"? Yeah right.

Fans ground.

Me, I'm very proud of this but... sure we can mess it up yet!

Psychotic Blue!

Don't worry, guys… only good times ahead! :)

Interesting numbers, thank you. Let me add a little to them.

If you just gross up the current revenue to the new capacity, you get to c £25m. So getting beyond that, towards your £50m implies a rise in ticket prices, and not a small one. I suspect some of the slack could be taken up by high margin/priced corporate/hospitality stuff, which we currently sorely lack, but personally I don't see £50m as even close to viable just on gate receipts. You Newcastle example might be a better proxy. So somewhere around £35m perhaps.

I'd be very interested to see the business case. Originally this was going to be a £500m project, with part funding at a very low rate from the council and anything else benefitting from a very low interest environment. Now we have a £750m funding requirement in a high interest environment. It is alleged that R&M's funding rate is 12% and 777 closer to 20%. It is pretty obvious this is going to need a major re-structuring.

Even if we can get new/replacement funding at 8%- I would have thought a big challenge right now- that is going to throw off an interest bill of £60m per annum. Clearly extra gate receipts cannot possibly hope to cover this, probably not even a majority of it. We are presumably going to utilise the stadium as a venue to hire, but it's not apparent to me what would be a viable revenue target for this. It would likely need to be £40m plus. Over time, inflation will alleviate the burden but even so.

So either I'm missing something obvious here or the business case, such as it was, is now out of date.

The work on the hydraulic tower was probably a sop to the conservationists / council / et al (which I'm fully in favour of). I just Hope they can turn it into a pub like The Pump House at Albert Dock.

I am worried that for the more ancient of us getting to and from BMD could be a bit of a nightmare. Worryingly at this late stage I have not yet seen any plans which properly address that issue.

How about making the first game a testimonial for Coleman? He has been due one for a while. It tests the stadium, but not to capacity. There will be no away fans so all faces are friendly and willing to be patient while staff get used to how things work.

The reason Spurs moved mid-season will have been because their build went well behind schedule and over budget. And they were camped out at Wembley at the time. This is a good move by Everton. Credit where it's due.

The business case for BMD was always at best (intentionally) sketchy and at worst complete pie in the sky.

The fact that even at this comparatively late stage, we still cannot point at official projected income/costs and that at no point has the club been able to secure the full funding from any major provider only points to the paucity or lack of any traditional business-case approach.

If you followed both Arsenal's and Spurs' stadium projects in the early stages, you will have seen fully costed projections for income/costs etc. Including mitigations and contingencies for inflation and over runs. They included far bigger high end corporate and other premium capacity. As a result, they had no problems in securing funding from major banks for their projects. Put simply, their sums added up.

Ours was always going to be bank of daddy with a major inhouse sponsorship (money laundered) deal to meet the obvious financial shortfalls you've identified. As with our earlier team building investments, the stadium has been a highly speculative money-no-object, scatter-gun economics approach. Of course the loss of USM has fully exposed those shortfalls and created the parlous financial state we now see. with an owner who carried-on-regardless in the blind hope that the stadium would generate a step increase in perceived value, now desperate to sell to cut his losses and load the club with debt as a consequence. with only loan shark suiters desperate to make a killing at present (by the looks).

The stadium is a complete white elephant unless it attracts the type of owner who can absorb/restructure the debt long enough to help establish it as a viable asset. Our only hope is that its finished quality might attract that type of owner and/or Moshiri (and his backer) are prepared to take the hit and not make the club so debt laden that it can't progress, shiny new stadium or not.

I share your fear about BMD being a white elephant. Even with a well constructed business plan, we have been hit by unfortunate timing, with costs escalating sharply due to well known supply chain issues and an abrupt end to the ultra low interest rates era.

Arsenal and Tottenham also had big advantages over us. The former had a ground that could be re-developed into flats, valued at around £500m because they are near Central London. Goodison's value is a small fraction of that. They were also able to leverage the very high value of their playing squad to release money, skilfully mitigated by Wenger. We don't have that luxury.

The biggest advantage Spurs had was their ability to re-structure their financing into bonds with an average 23 year redemption rate at an interest rate of 2.66% per annum. While their stadium cost more than BMD, its financing costs will be much lower and being in London, can more easily exploit non football use.

Basically a £750m stadium at today's financing costs simply cannot be carried by a club of our financial means. The only viable way out for this is a sale where Moshiri takes a very large bath on his equity and loans. Maybe this was the 'existential threat' he was referring to

I appreciate the obvious reasoning behind your statement...
'And tell the FA to fuck off with regard using it for the Euros out of spite'.

However, in a time when we get so much negative press, shouldn't we be trying to raise the club's profile?

The stadium should help.

Many will have already spent out on season tickets for next season, which would include games at either Goodison or the new stadium, so there would be no extra revenue from that.

From what I've been told, of the extra 14k seats, only 8k will be for season ticket or match-by-match sales, the other 6k being for corporate sales, and probably many of these corporate sales will be paid for on the never-never, and I know for a fact that people have already started paying monthly payments for these.

So from what I can see, it's only the 8k seats for season tickets or match-by-match sales we would be missing out on. Obviously I don't know how much these seats will cost, but let's say £50 per match x 8k = £400k, x 6 = £2.4M. Not a lot in the grand scheme of things.

Also, I'm guessing there will be tickets on sale for the test event games, and I would also guess the corporate facilities will be available for use once the keys are handed over to the club.

Giant statue of Uncle Bill next. I bet the pump tower really is only going to be a museum. What, state-of-the-art cinema, restaurant, hotel. Certainly not.

Moshiri needs to write off his losses as a bad investment and try to save the club and attract someone with the money and business contacts to sort us out. If we slip into administration, he will lose it all anyway.

Railway sleepers?? Where? There is nothing cheap or retrograde about this design or build at any level.

You did kick off about a "water feature" by the pumphouse that was a hole dug for a massive rainwater tank to be fair so you are strangely consistent in trying to find something to slag off.

Not sure why that is because you are generally a positive supporter and contributor here… Do you work for Unesco? Was you're design pipped by Dan Meiss?

[Just kidding.]

The brickwork round the ground looks out of keeping with a state-of-the-art build. The heritage and Unesco woke loony left brigade I've never supported, so I don't know where you get that from.

This ground should have as much as possible money-making schemes in it, considering the state we are in. The tower should be raking in the extra cash, but it won't if it's a bloody water pump.

I was " joking" about you working for Unesco. Unesco are loony lefties? How do you come to that conclusion?

Okay, on to your "mini-canal", this is necessary for boats to access the adjacent dock (Collingwood Dock, I think). So I am positive it's not ours to fill in even if you wanted to. Why would you want to when you have an abundance of land for the fans on the west side??

The pumphouse will not return to its former use as there is no water in the dock to pump out as it has been replaced with a magnificent stadium.

Give them a chance to at least finish it before they start making some profitable use.

If you think the brickwork is not in keeping with a modern stadium, fair enough… but you are the only person I have come across who doesn't like it.

Firstly, welcome back, Rob, I hope you had a great time in the Caribbean, on your cricket tour. Plus, your return to the travelling Blues and the victorious Turf Moor visit?

Just on a note re interest rates, Mark. The Esk has clarified that the R&MF interest rate is UK base rate plus 5% (as per his "In the bleak mid-winter" article.)

Happily, this means that it has now crept down from the highs of approximately 12%+. Currently, the rate is at a mere (Oh happy days!) 10.25%... Nothing like the majority lender at Spurs (The BoE) at 2.66% fixed term.

Don't forget that West Ham and Man City were 'gifted' their stadiums too, if I recall correctly? Again, this is purely from memory, a faltering one at that too; so if incorrect, then please correct me (gently though Michael please! Hehe.)

The MetroBank loan (approximately £26M) is at around the 8% mark, and guaranteed by the Government.

I have no idea what the terms are for the £140M MSP and Blythe Capital rates are; plus they are secured against the stadium regardless. Note, as is the R&MF borrowings are as well.

Lastly, we have the £82M (soon to rise to approximately £103M come January) from 777 Partners.

This has been reported by Kieran McGuire to be at 20% (and unsecured), but the good Professor seems to think that these loans are loaded against Moshiri's share-holding, and would just reduce the capital outlay for the final purchase price, subject to regulatory approval. In his words, a back-door mechanism for a stake in the shareholding of the club, which he fears, if true!

So they don't get to become owners of EFC if approval is not forthcoming; but, they acquire a significant shareholding stake, through Moshiri using his shares, or a portion thereof, as collateral repayment for the 777 loans.

The total completion costs of the stadium, as announced by Ms Barrett-Baxendale have risen from a fixed £505M cost, to approximately a figure nearer £760M.

In recent weeks, I for one have been pedalling the story that these costs are set to rise again. In main due to increased material and labour costs.

However, again Prof McGuire has stated that, as long as the payment schedule to Laing O'Rourke is fulfilled on time, then the stadium costs remain fixed. Else indeed Laing O'Rourke go in breach of contract...

Note as both Prof McGuire and Paul 'the Esk' Quinn have stated, any construction payment slippage will incur a 'punitive' (not quantified anywhere I can find) hike in construction costs.

Which could or would mean that, to all intents and purposes, all construction at the stadium would cease; and, unless someone with very deep pockets, or ulterior motives, came in, new stadium will likely end up like Valencia's Nou Mestella stadium.

The reason why I brought Rob Halligan into this converstaion is his post at #91 pretty much sums up the state of play regards moving to the stadium mid-season, or to the rump end of the 2024-25 season.

There would be no significiant financial gain to be made (as most monies would have been pre-charged already), and indeed, moving there mid-season would actually limit the potential to increase revenue! (Again, happy to be disabused of that notion.)

I mentioned a possibility way back at #36 regarding the possibility of Televising the remaining fixtures of 2024-25 once the new stadium has the necessary safety certification to get people into the stadium, who otherwise would never get the chance to attend their by consequence of not being a season ticketholder or Hospitality/Corporate attendee.

As I stated at #36, this would allow 'any' fans to buy 'discounted' tickets, and have access to the hospitality, corporate and fan amenity areas (where appropriate), so as to test the stadium as if a 'live' game was being played.

"That way, any snags can get worked out prior to proper live games.

Additionally, you'd then get the revenue from the actual game at Goodison, and additional revenue from the new stadium.

Also, it would mean people who can't get season tickets, could get a chance to experience the stadium in as close to a game environment as is possible, before it is allocated to the proper season ticket holders? Just an idea?"

To which Ray Robinson #37 replied;

"I'm wondering if two other factors are playing a role in the delay?

Firstly, I know the Premier League (Football Association) were not happy about Tottenham starting at Wembley and switching to their new ground part way through a season. How many games did Spurs play at Wembley? Four, five ….?

Secondly, even if the stadium is ready on time, is the supporting infrastructure in place?

For instance, where is the car park to be situated which will support the number of fans accessing what actually is a fairly poorly served location?

Loss of income notwithstanding, the delay in moving to the start of the 2025-26 season seems quite sensible to me."

To which I replied (slightly modified here), "That is a great idea ,Ray #37.

As it would actually test the accessibility, and transport links, car parking etc. Both for arrival and departure (I think the term is 'post-event dispersal').

Hopefully resulting in:

A Win for testing (stress testing) the stadium,

A Win for testing the transport infrastructure and accessibility, Both ingress and egress.

A Win for allowing otherwise disenfranchised (non-ST holders) fans to experience the stadium before the team plays there full time,

and a Win for additional income!

There seems to be merits in those arguements, though there are also additional opportunities too, such as hosting U21 games, and the club's WSL games. (As originally suggested by Danny O'Neill).

NB: I am not stating that the actual playing of those football games suggested would get to anywhere near capacity, but they would give a boost to those teams playing at the new stadium (hopefully!) and also raise the profile of the club and stadium. Not to mention the opportunity for non-football events too, such as Music concerts and such like.

Also, maybe WIgan and or St Helens would like to hire the venue for rugby league when available?

Just some ideas to possibly float...

"Ours was always going to be bank of daddy with a major inhouse sponsorship (money laundered) deal to meet the obvious financial shortfalls you've identified.

As with our earlier team building investments, the stadium has been a highly speculative money-no-object, scatter-gun economics approach.

(And as per Everton-Moshiri) Of course the loss of USM has fully exposed those shortfalls and created the parlous financial state we now see.

With an owner who carried on regardless in the blind hope that the stadium would generate a step increase in perceived value; now desperate to sell to cut his losses and load the club with debt as a consequence. With only (the current) loan shark suitors desperate to make a killing at present (by the looks).

The stadium is a complete 'White Elephant', unless it attracts the type of owner who can absorb and/or restructure the debt long enough to help establish it as a viable asset.

Our only hope is that its finished quality might attract that type of owner and/or Moshiri (and his backer) are prepared to take the hit and not make the club so debt-laden that it can't progress, shiny new stadium or not." (Tom, please excuse my minor additions and alterations, purely for elucidation.)

And;

This: Mark Taylor [89],

"Basically, a £750M stadium at today's financing costs simply cannot be carried by a club of our financial means. The only viable way out for this is a sale where Moshiri takes a very large bath on his equity and loans. Maybe this was the 'existential threat' he was referring to..?"

Mark (above) quite possibly. Unless, he meant that if he didn't get Uncle Ali's £400M or so back to him (Usmanov), it is the existential threat to himself, he was referring to? Hehe ;-)

He's done very well out of Everton and good for him, but can't we start to be a bit less sentimental! This is part of the reason we're in the absolute mess that has unfolded at this football club.

They used to be a means of giving players a final pay day.

Now if they are put on, most, if not all players, certainly in the Premier League tend to donate to chosen charities.

Different times. It is quite rare now to have players who remain at clubs for 10 years or more.

As Tom says, also a way of recognising loyal service.

Absolutely bang on.

Not only a white elephant but an Albatross around the neck and a drag anchor against further progress unless big money comes in.

Yet to see a club who financed a new build transformed in the way hoped, quite the opposite if you peruse the list of those who chose that route. Leicester used to be the exception proving the rule but either side of their improbable title win they were relegated at the new gaff.

Once the opening day hoo-haa dissipates and reality kicks in that nothing has really changed other than better catering, the odds of BMD generating a miraculous transformation are dreadful.

The ghoulish spectre of Moshiri and his calamitous judgement lies in the very fabric of the place and will haunt until a Sheikh appears on a white camel to cleanse the club with oodles of lovely loot.

The bit that gets me is that just like when Kenwright, was looking 24/7 for a buyer, (even though he was only interested in an investor) a lot of people are assuming that it is only 777, that wants to buy Everton now.

I'm not having it. A great historical football club, that has stood the test of time, as much as anyone, (even though the club has been badly mismanaged for years and years) are about to move into an unbelievable new stadium on the most iconic waterfront in the UK, a waterfront that also just happens to be the gateway to America, from our shores.

I'm sure there will be prominent people interested in Everton, but unless they have got a real plan, then nothing whatsoever will change.

I have been told I'm talking shite (No arguments there) but I've been wracking my brain to understand when Evertonians became so defeatist, with regards to our future, and believe this started when a lot of gullible fans, started taking the words of Mr Kenwright, at face value.

There might not be any white night waiting to save us, but “I'd bet anyone” that there are people waiting in the wings, who know how valuable Everton could become in the future?

It's a terrible pity someone like you wasn't tasked with finding a new owner.

We are a top six team in the waiting. We probably have a distressed owner selling his interest. In addition we will soon be moving into a new stadium. We are an attractive club for a potential new owner.

I too would expect that there are potential buyers who may well be looking at buying EFC. I certainly hope so, as I don't see 777 Partners being anything other as a 'sticking plaster' for our problems.

Indeed, I feel from reading around about 777 Partners, that they will use EFC in their multi-club model, to sell the whole shebang to someone who has the real deep pockets, but wasn't interested in doing the legwork, and garnering the bad press whilst keeping the other clubs on tick-over.

Could 777 just be a 'middle man' for the ultimate buyer? If that is the case then we really haven't a clue as to what direction this is going to take.

I'd love one of the massively expanding South Korean tech giants (or yes, a Petro-Chem Kingdom) to have a look at us, but I think that organisations like that are too savvy to bag themselves circa £650m of debt to payoff, £260m in Capex construction costs, say £120-150m to service the playing squad to try and push us into a top-8 side (Or even just to stabilise us as a mid-table side initially?), and on top of that Moshiri's asking price of around £500-550m

That is a lot of resource required to get the club back to an even starting point, which immediately gets hammered by the revenue shortfall versus the outgoings.

Going back to potential 'savvy' purchasers of the club. If they are hard-nosed, absolute professionals, then I'm pretty sure that they would wait and see just where the club ends up.

Remember, there is still a chance that the value drops even lower, and until relegations is mathematically avoided, there is potential to pick up Everton for peanuts down the road.

Also, if 777 do stabilise the club and restructure the debt favourably, and fund the stadium, again that would avoid some of the major issues putting off potential suitors.

Just a few quick thoughts.

Will it be sold and leased back? I expect it will be, but it's still our vision, our stadium. To many, the numbers don't add up, but to be frank with Moshiri and Co, I am not sure what the plan was in the first place but it seems to me that the City of Liverpool owes a massive debt to the club for regenerating an area of the city that had been neglected for decades.. without the club or Moshiri (or Usmanov if you want) it would still be a desolate waste ground in 20 years time.

It's iconic. It's fabulous, it puts the club back on the map as the no1 club in the city. It may not seem like a great deal to the accountants ATM, but it's the best stadium in the country on the best River, in the best city.

You always know when Liverpool are at home because they bring in thousands of fans, tourists, bucket-listers

When Everton move, I think this is going to be very significant with regards helping us become just as important to the local economy, as our neighbours.

Once our club finally begins to grow again, this will definitely become very evident in our own city centre, and should help us start generating even more local support. 🤞

This and the lack of other interests hints at finances being in the "don't touch with a barge pole" category.

There are other complications regarding ownership of EFC but I won't go there, I know it irks you.

It might be an albatross, but I think the biggest albatrosses have nearly all departed, and yet Everton are still a premier league club, because in “their hours of need” the greatest supporters in the land, kept the club going.

YOU DID NOT DESERT US. - MY BROTHERS IN ARMS.💙

Everton stadium ideas from the 1960s to the 2010s on long road to Bramley-Moore vision