Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
It's a time of change on the blue side of Merseyside, with Everton FC set to bid farewell to their traditional home of Goodison Park – one of the most famous grounds in the English top flight, and a name familiar to both fans and punters assessing the top sports betting sites.
Located in Walton, around two miles north of Liverpool city centre, Goodison has provided the stage for the Toffees home games since way back in 1892.
A stadium close to the hearts of all Evertonians, Goodison Park has evolved over the years, seeing a new stand opened to much fanfare in 1994. However, the introduction of the all-seater regulations following the Taylor report has seen the capacity capped at 39,414 – some way below the peak attendance of 78,299 for the 1948 Merseyside Derby.
With minimal room for further expansion at the current site and increasing cost of maintenance – with a stated £500,000 reported as being spent merely to keep the stadium's steelwork up to scratch – the club's owners have opted to seek out a new home.
Plans have been in the pipeline for a new stadium since 1996, with a number of proposals gaining varying degrees of traction in the intervening years.
Plans for a 55,000-capacity venue at King's Dock seemed to be building up a head of steam, only to then be scrapped due to funding difficulties in 2005.
The focus then turned to a prospective 60,000 development in Kirby. This proposal was however negatively received by a section of the supporter base who were keen to see the club remain within the boundaries of the city, and was ultimately rejected.
Walton Park was next in line, only for plans to be abandoned in 2016, whilst the idea of a joint venture between Liverpool and Everton was seemingly never on the agenda, despite rumours to the contrary.
Finally, in 2017, it was announced that the former commercial site of Bramley-Moore Dock in Vauxhall had been selected as the preferred location for the stadium, and this time, the wheels were, at long last, set in motion.
For the new design, the club turned to a man with an impressive sports CV. American Architect Dan Meirs is best known for designing stadia in his home country, being the brains behind the Staples Centre (home of the LA Kings of the NHL, and LA Lakers and LA Clippers of the NBA), Paycor Stadium, which stages the home games of the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL, and the Seattle Mariners MLB venue of Safeco Field.
With such a track record of success, Everton fans are rightly excited about the new ground, which is scheduled to open ahead of the 2024/25 season. Set to follow a "bowl-style" layout, with a predominantly steel and glass construction, one of the most eagerly anticipated features is a 13,000 stand inspired by the famous "Yellow Wall" of the Westfalenstadion – home of Borussia Dortmund.
Those in the Liverpool area will see that building work is now well underway, with the stadium already beginning to make its presence felt on the Merseyside skyline. Early images of the completed project suggest the stadium will be well worth the wait, with the ground set to provide a thoroughly modern facility cast against a spectacular waterfront backdrop.
Initially set to open with a 52,888 capacity, a capability to expand up to 62,000 is included in the plans, with the site also set to feature shopping and housing areas. The FA meanwhile has been sufficiently impressed with the project to include the new Everton Stadium as part of the Euro 2028 bid.
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