A new footbridge to help passenger flow at the main station serving Everton’s new stadium will be ready in time for the club’s final test event this summer.
On August 23, the Blues will play their first home league game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after 133 years at Goodison Park.
Before then, the 52,888 capacity ground situated at Bramley-Moore Dock will host its final test event two weeks earlier as the men’s first team host Roma, also owned by the Friedkin Group, in their inaugural game at their new home. This will be the first time the new stadium will operate at full capacity.
A pair of test events were held earlier this year with 10,000 fans in attendance and then with the ground at half capacity.
Ahead of the third and final preparation fixture, Everton supporter representatives have met with members of the stadium transport group to discuss how transport options can manage the increased number of fans traveling to and from the ground.
Credit: Morgan Sindall/Merseyrail/Network Rail/Caulmert
The stadium transport group includes representatives from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Liverpool Council, Merseytravel, Merseyrail, and travel consultants.
They met with supporter representatives from the Everton Fan Advisory Board, Fans’ Forum, Supporters’ Club Committee and Everton Disabled Supporters Association (EDSA), alongside club officials, to reflect on learnings and explore achievable enhancements to the supporter travel experience.
The session, hosted by Everton, focused on refining the wider transport plan for the upcoming pre-season friendly against Roma in just under two months time. During the second event in March, almost half the reduced capacity – more than 12,000 people – used the Merseyrail network throughout the day to get to and from the ground.
The train operator confirmed a new pedestrian bridge at the southern end of the island platform will be completed in time for the Roma fixture. Additional measures, such as longer and more frequent trains, are also being introduced in response to observed fan behaviour from the previous events.
To deal with the increased number of users passing through for the second test, Merseyrail amended its Sunday timetable accordingly. Services ran every 15 minutes on the Southport, Ormskirk and Headbolt Lane lines, with eight car trains where possible.
At Sandhills and Liverpool city centre stations, a crowd flow management system was in place to direct fans to their relevant train. More than 2,000 people used bus services in March, with a third route to connect Kirkby to the stadium confirmed as being added for future fixtures.
Post-match supporter movement via the nearby Bascule Bridge is under review to ensure safe and efficient exit routes. To manage the flow of supporters, a stop-go system was in place around the bridge in March, prompting some to question if it could handle the weight of foot traffic.
Peel Waters, which owns the bridge, confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that it was fully able to accommodate the number of fans travelling on foot.
Availability of blue badge parking and supporters’ club coach parking remains under active discussion with fan representatives, with further information to be shared with supporters closer to the next fixture.
Supporter groups confirmed they would work alongside transport partners and club officials to help gather further insight prior to and after upcoming events with the aim of helping to establish efficient and sustainable matchday routines for the future.
Everton FC, local authorities and transport providers reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing dialogue and regular meetings with fan representatives in the lead-up to the third test event and the official opening of Hill Dickinson Stadium for the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Image:Sandhills station. Credit: David Humphreys
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