Everton bank on new stadium to act as catalyst for development of the region

Everton, set to move to Bramley-Moore Dock at the beginning of the 2025/26 season, are hopeful that their new waterfront stadium could act as a catalyst for the development of the region and the city as a whole.

The Toffees, who have called Goodison Park home since 1892, are excited about their future under new owners The Friedkin Group with the new stadium being at the heart of the project. Marc Watts, Everton executive chair and Friedkin Group president, discussed the prospects of partnering with private companies as well as local and national government to “lift up the whole area of the northern docks”.

“We’re not looking for any large amounts of public money to make this happen. If the business plan is strong enough, and we think it would be, then you should have partners who want to be part of it,” he told The Financial Times.

Besides the small shops that have started to prop up in this region following the two test events conducted by Everton, the area surrounding the stadium lacks pubs, restaurants, and proper transportation and parking facilities that sports and concert lovers would expect at a venue like that.

The club was also interested in purchasing the Nelson Dock next to the stadium. Colin Chong, interim chief executive at Everton until Angus Kinnear takes over the role this summer, hinted at the possibility of using that land for additional sporting infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, is aware of the huge potential of the stadium and that it could accelerate housing developments boosted by a £56m grant from agency Homes England, to increase footfall and spur talks with investors.

This could also lead to improvement in public transport as well as links to complement Sandhills train station that currently serves the Bramley-Moore Dock region. 

New stadium also promises a better financial future for Everton

The new 52,888-seater stadium could also usher in a new era for the club. Having lost £566m in seven seasons since its last profit in the 2016-17 financial year, the stadium could boost the club’s revenue by at least £60m a year thanks to its bigger capacity and modern hospitality facilities.

Even before it has been officially opened, the new stadium has already been selected as one of the venues for the Euro 2028 tournament and also the second match of the Ashes rugby league series between England and Australia later this year.

In addition to sporting events outside football, the new stadium will also compete for concerts, events, and major business conferences.

There are reasons to believe that this will allow the club to spend on quality players as they look to close the gap to European football in the coming seasons. A healthy boost to finances could be just what the doctor ordered as Everton head into a pivotal summer with a possible squad rebuild on the horizon. 

 

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