The interior of Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on November 29, 2024
The interior of Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on November 29, 2024 (Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC Official Photography Library/SmartFrame)
The latest batch of photographs from the new Everton Stadium have shown some of the finer details of the Blues’ future home while also showing how close the site on the banks of the Mersey is to the heart of Liverpool city centre. After a construction period just shy of three-and-a-half years, the 52,888 capacity venue at Bramley-Moore Dock is set for completion this month and officially handed over by contractors Laing O’Rourke to Everton with the club set to host a series of test events early in 2025, ahead of the first competitive fixture being played next August.
With the synthetic stitching of millions of fibres into the newly-laid top soil underway, using specialised machinery that will slowly work its way across what will become the playing surface, there is now plenty of green on the pitch as a series of lighting rigs are wheeled into place. Other features pictured include the dugout, rail seating, turnstiles and blue bricks outside the stadium.
Meanwhile, Everton’s immersive sales showroom at the Royal Liver Building, used to showcase the premium spaces at Everton Stadium, has been recognised with an industry-leading award at a glittering ceremony in Spain. The stadium’s key role in regenerating Liverpool’s historic waterfront has also been under the spotlight at a recent conference of key business leaders.
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ESSMA, the European Stadium & Safety Management Association which unites the stadium industry, honoured the sales showroom with the Fan Experience Initiative of the Year at their second annual awards, held in Madrid. The showroom uses digital and interactive elements to offer supporters an immersive tour of the range of bars, restaurants and experiences available at Everton Stadium, which is revolutionising traditional football hospitality.
The stadium offers unique and unrivalled experiences, including a wide range of inclusive dining packages and, for the first time in a European Stadium, loge seating. In their citation ESSMA, who promote innovative initiatives in sustainability, fan experience, Accessibility and stadium development, acclaimed the showroom as “a fully immersive digital sales experience, allowing prospective buyers to explore and visualise different areas of their new stadium, boosting engagement and streamlining decision-making.”
Vicky Jaycock, head of premium sales at Everton, accepted the Fan Experience Initiative of the Year award on behalf of her team, who have sold all seasonal memberships available at the new stadium. Vicky, who was attending the 11th ESSMA Summit, held at the Metropolitano Stadium, home of Atletico Madrid, said: “It was a great honour to accept the award on behalf of Everton. We are re-defining and modernising what premium experiences at major international venues will be like, and the showroom at the Royal Liver Building was an essential tool to help sell the premium spaces while the stadium itself remained under construction.
“Making that an immersive experience, with the use of digital technology and interactive aspects, was therefore even more important. The feedback we received from supporters who visited the showroom was remarkable and resulted in huge demand, which led to our in-house team selling out of all seasonal memberships.”
Also, Richard Kenyon, Everton’s chief commercial and communications officer, was a guest panellist at the Liverpool City Region Development Update, where he outlined the benefits that the stadium will bring for the club and the wider city.
Kenyon told the 200-strong forum: “To move to the waterfront is incredible, and to see what has been created for the fan base and the city. It’s not just a home for Everton Football Club. It’s a cultural asset for the city, all year round.
“It’s been a long process and it’s taken many decades to find the right site, the three-year build is nearly finished, on time, and on budget and we are ready to start playing football there from August of next year.”
Kenyon, who described the location as “unrivalled”, added that the stadium’s unique design was bult to complement its stunning location, with an atmosphere designed to be intimidating for the opposition on the pitch and meet the wishes of thousands of fans who took part in a huge public consultation process ahead of the build. He also elaborated on the many bars, restaurants and experiences that will feature within the new stadium, which dramatically increase the premium spaces available compared to Goodison Park and promise to be more expansive and inclusive across the supporter base.
Kenyon said: “We want to bring the best of the high street into the new stadium. Our bars, restaurants, and experiences will be some of the best in the city.”
The Liverpool City Region Development Update heard from a number of other panellists, as the city’s future waterfront came under discussion following the city council’s new strategy for the area’s regeneration, which includes Peel’s vision for the £5billion Liverpool Waters scheme.
Blue bricks outside Everton Stadium
Blue bricks outside Everton Stadium
2. Lighting rigs on the pitch at Everton Stadium
Lighting rigs on the pitch at Everton Stadium
3. A close-up view of the home dugout at Everton Stadium
A close-up view of the home dugout at Everton Stadium