Connor O'Neill was in attendance at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday afternoon to watch the first non-football event between England and Australia take place
Dominic Young is fouled by Reece Walsh during the England vs Australia Test match at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Dominic Young is fouled by Reece Walsh during the England vs Australia Test match at Hill Dickinson Stadium
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One youngster couldn’t believe his eyes. The adult accompanying him then uses some X-rated language to describe Everton’s home as he is standing on Regent Road.“It’s f *****g big,” he says, with a pint in his hand, before adding: “It looks impressive.” It is 12.30pm outside Hill Dickinson Stadium, and you would be forgiven for thinking Everton were at home.
There is a vivid sense of anticipation in the air. Some can’t quite believe what they are about to watch, having waited years for this event to take place.
In two hours' time England will take on Australia in the second test of the Ashes series. History is about to be made.
It was only back in February that the doors to Everton's magnificent new home opened for the first time to 10,000 lucky supporters.
A full house then helped cheer the Blues to victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in August as Everton played their first competitive game at their new home.
Now, after 10 football games being played here, the first non-football event is about to take place.
It has been a long old road for the club to get to this point. Some rival supporters would often take great pleasure in suggesting this arena would never be built.
How wrong were they? The pipe dream some billed this project as has become a reality. And the reality is that Everton are now very much on the world stage.
The torturous journey decades in the making has been worth every step when you are in attendance for events like this.
A quick walk through the gates and The Fan Zone Plaza is awash with supporters. One of those is Zach, originally from the Gold Coast but now living in Liverpool.
The Royal Blue podcast logo
The Royal Blue podcast logo
He is here to cheer on Australia and tells the ECHO: “I’m blown away by the stadium.
“I keep telling people back home how good this stadium is and how much better the experience will be than Wembley. I’m blown away.”
Speaking in the build-up to this game, England star Harry Smith told the ECHO that he expected an electric atmosphere.
He wasn’t wrong. A good 30 minutes before kick-off, and Hill Dickinson Stadium is already starting to rock as a DJ in attendance works his way through some classic hits.
It wouldn't be matchday at this incredible arena without Z Cars, and sure enough, around 15 minutes before kick-off, the iconic Everton anthem is played.
Although a remix that leads into Sandstorm by Darude is unlikely to catch on at future Everton games.
When the two teams emerge from the tunnel, you would be forgiven for thinking that a game involving the Blues is about to take place.
Tickets for this Test sold out within hours of going on sale last year, and everyone in attendance is making themselves heard, unlike at Wembley last weekend, when the atmosphere was questioned.
We even had red smoke fill the air from the pyrotechnics set off as the two teams lined up for the national anthems before notorious prankster Daniel ‘Jarvo 69’ Jarvis was escorted off the pitch after lining up with the Australia team.
With less than two minutes on the clock, a fight breaks out between both sets of players. It was the sort of scrap supporters would have seen back in the Howard Kendall glory days.
The first half was a tight and tense affair, but Shaun Wane’s side took the game to the Aussies and managed to ask plenty of questions.
Morgan Knowles scores a try, but it is disallowed for a knock-on during the Rugby League Ashes match between England and Australia at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Morgan Knowles scores a try, but it is disallowed for a knock-on during the Rugby League Ashes match between England and Australia at Hill Dickinson Stadium
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But the second-half follows a similar pattern to last weekend’s game at Wembley, with Australia running away with it to claim a 14-4 victory and the series in the process.
Of course this isn’t the first time a non-football event has taken place at a football ground in the city.
Tony Bellew famously knocked out Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park, while music artists from across the world have played at Anfield in recent years.
A report by the Wall Street Journal claimed Taylor Swift’s three nights at Anfield likely bagged Liverpool FC between $9m and $12m (£7m and £9.5m), although the economics of the concerts can vary due to region, given US ticket prices carried a premium.
The Reds were handed a rental fee for the stadium by promoters AEG, while the club stood to make as much as £1.2m per night in merchandise sales, with that sum averaged out across the 149 dates that Swift played.
While it was also claimed that famous stars playing in front of hundreds of thousands of people at Anfield has delivered over £30m to the local economy and created thousands of jobs for local people.
Speaking to the ECHO before the game, Rhodri Jones, managing director of Rugby League Commercial, said he was hoping yesterday’s game would be the first of many rugby league events to be held at Everton’s new home.
The reaction online from supporters who attended was unanimous. “The new home of rugby league” was just one view.
The view from those at Everton is that this is the start of many non-football events that will take place here.
That simply has to be the case because this stadium is far too good just to be hosting football matches.
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