Everton chiefs will now have much more clarity over the plans to increase the Hill Dickinson Stadium’s capacity.
When Everton initially announced that the new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock would hold a capacity crowd of around 52,000, some supporters felt it wasn’t big enough.
A 13,000-seat increase on Goodison Park felt somewhat underwhelming, especially considering their Merseyside rivals Liverpool can house over 60,000.
That was taken into account by the club, and so the Hill Dickinson Stadium has been built with the possibility of future expansion.
With that said, we’ve revisited those plans, and one thing has become really clear.
Everton's new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Photo by PETER POWELL/AFP via Getty Images
Everton should have no doubts over increasing the Hill Dickinson Stadium capacity
Back in May, it came to light that Everton could increase the new stadium’s capacity to around 57,000 before the European Championships in 2028.
When those plans were drawn up, the club hadn’t played a competitive game at the Hill Dickinson, so they were probably still quite unsure over whether it would be viable.
The threat of suffering relegation to the Championship, or even just becoming a mediocre Premier League side, would’ve likely put a seed of doubt into their minds about making the stadium even bigger.
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But, now that the Toffees have settled into their new home and look like a much stronger top-flight outfit, even if results haven’t been great recently, club chiefs will surely be confident that there is demand for a bigger capacity.
The league games have been a sell-out, and quite incredibly, over 48,000 fans were in attendance to watch Everton take on Mansfield Town in the second round of the League Cup.
Moyes wants to return Everton to Europe this season, so if they achieve that goal, even the planned 57,000 capacity would feel a little too small.
Everton’s new stadium could earn them an extra £40m-a-year
Everton’s new stadium is going to completely transform the club’s finances, making PSR concerns a thing of the past.
Finance expert Adam Williams told Everton News that the Hill Dickinson could generate an extra £40m-a-year in revenue.
The naming rights deal alone is banking Everton around £6m-a-year, so over the coming seasons, the Toffees should be able to compete in the transfer market with some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
In the summer, they were able to spend in excess of £100m, and that was without being forced to bring in cash through player sales.
So, the future is certainly bright on Merseyside and circling back to the original point, club chiefs should now be confident in giving the green light to the pre-planned stadium capacity increase.