The first non-footballing event at Hill Dickinson Stadium proved a success, albeit with some major drawbacks that must be addressed quickly by Everton.
As soon as the design for what is now called Hill Dickinson Stadium moved from an architect’s scribble on a table napkin, through planning and eventually construction, Everton Football Club have made it consistently and repeatedly clear that the building would be first and foremost a football stadium, without compromise.
Everything about the stadium has been designed to ensure that fans are part of and can influence the action, from proximity to the pitch, to the steepness of the stands, to the acoustically tuned roof space that already makes the stadium one of the loudest in world football.
However, the Club also made it clear that this stunning building will become a 365 go-to venue for everything from fine dining, to concerts and to hosting other sporting events.
The stadium’s predecessor, Goodison Park, previously hosted World Cup matches, baseball and rugby league tests, including, over 100 years ago, the first Ashes Series between representative teams from England and Australia.
It seemed, therefore, inevitable that when the first Ashes Test Series for over 20 years was announced that one of the two northern venues (the other is Headingley in Yorkshire) would be the jewel in the three-stadium city of Liverpool.
General admission tickets for the second Test at Hill Dickinson Stadium sold out within an hour as rugby league fans from across the country clamoured to attend the game on November 1st, 2025.
The outcome of the match was disappointing for England fans as Australia clinched the three-match series with one game to go. What did not disappoint, though, was the atmosphere inside the stadium, the sightlines of the pitch from every seat, and of course, the huge 17,000-capacity fan plaza, which was rammed with fans before the game.
Fans seemed genuinely in awe of the stadium, especially those in the upper sections of the huge South Stand, who had a steep climb to an amazing vantage point behind the goal.
Pre and post match, there were plaudits for this magnificent building, with fans instantly labelling it as “much better than Old Trafford”, with demands for Magic Weekend to take place there, and even some wanting the Grand Final to move from its longstanding home at Manchester United’s stadium.
Trevor Hunt, working for BBC Radio Manchester, commented, also on X: “Stadium, atmosphere and staff were great! Sadly, train issues spoiled the day for thousands!”
This was a real shame, as the rugby league crowd are a balanced bunch with many more women and children attending the game than is typical for football matches.
Former footballer and Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara said it was a “great stadium” but also lamented the poor infrastructure and specifically the trains, which made getting to and from the stadium challenging. It must be stressed that for those travelling from outside of Liverpool, of which there were many thousands, the blame lies solely with the dismal transport companies that operate within the north. When it comes to transport within Liverpool itself, those issues have been well-documented previously by Evertonians.
Other fans found the ‘inside the bowl’ experience sensational, but less so in the concourse areas, with many complaining about congestion, long queues for toilets and for getting refreshments, with alcohol in some areas sold out by half-time.
Mike, a St Helens fan, said: “… that stadium is class … I have never been in a ground worse for getting a beer though.”
A huge percentage of those in attendance would have been heading to the stadium for the first time, and it is to the club’s credit that no one seems to have complained about getting into the stadium or indeed the prices charged therein.
The negatives of the day for most fans at the stadium were far outweighed by the positives, but the issues around transport infrastructure, toilets and slow service at the refreshment outlets are common to what the average Everton fan has said is an issue at Premier League games.
The priority, then, for Everton needs to be to address the niggles around service quality in the general admission areas, and as I understand it the club are aware of the toilet issues and will address those in the summer of 2026 — maybe better stewarding and signage is part of the answer.
Kev, a Widnes fan, said: “Hill Dickinson was a fine stadium today. No issues with getting an ale or queues for the bogs. Getting out not an issue too. Maybe because I have got eyes and common sense.”
There is also plenty of learning from this event for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, specifically around the transport challenges, which can clearly be improved with more commitment on their part.
Let’s not forget that this stadium will be a host venue for Euro 2028, and almost certainly used well into the knockout stages. All involved must step up and deliver.
I am sure that both the Rugby Football League (RFL) and Everton Football Club will overall have been delighted with how the event went, notwithstanding the result, and it seems inevitable that more major rugby league events will take place at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Prominent rugby league journalists such as Matt Shaw and Aaron Bower have credited the venue and atmosphere and have expressed the absolute necessity for the sport to return there.
For Everton, their intention to make the stadium a go-to venue for a variety of big-capacity events has taken a positive step forward.
One hopes that Everton are already pushing hard to host not only the biggest acts in world music but also the major UEFA finals of club competitions too — the 2028 Europa League final, which comes of course on the eve of Euro 2028, would be an ideal place to start.
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By JohnB
A note from Patric Ridge, who was also in attendance at the Ashes Test.
Everton have huge ambitions for Hill Dickinson Stadium, and rightly so.
But with this ambition has to come foresight. Everton are too ready to wash their hands of criticism directed their way for blatantly obvious issues, specifically around food and drink services, which have been outsourced.
Outsourcing the service itself is perfectly acceptable — indeed, it is sensible business practice, as John often states. But when that service is so poor, three months in, the club cannot keep pointing the finger of blame elsewhere or believing that it does not reflect badly on them.
Everton should be panicked at the level of chaos on show in the upper South Stand concourse during crunch times. They should be ashamed that the long bar, which looks out of those magnificent windows towards Liverpool’s iconic waterfront skyline, was out of alcohol by half-time, and was then shut after the match, meaning thousands of supporters all left at the same time.
That then leads to congestion in the fan plaza and congestion in the streets around the stadium, exaggerating the existing issues on the Dock Road.
We are heading into the depths of winter — this is not sustainable or safe for people and eventually, people will be driven away.
It is all well and good having a truly world-class venue to the eye, and Hill Dickinson Stadium is definitely that, but the service does not come close to matching it. That is on Everton to solve, not to shy away from.
For example, there is no need to wait for the best part of a year for clear signage to be put up, directing fans to toilets that are within one or two minutes’ walking distance and are often empty.
There is no need not to demand much better from the F&B service provider, or for the club not to ensure adequate training is provided to the staff.
If they don’t, then Hill Dickinson Stadium will not become the year-round, stellar venue that it needs to be.
Saturday was a fantastic day, and the atmosphere was electric. The stadium is perfect to host one-off events because the nature of the build means an atmosphere is natural to generate. The noise before kick-off and during a tightly contested first half was ferocious.
Willie Mason and Justin Horo, hosts ofLevels Network, former rugby league players with NRL and Super League experience, were blown away. “One of the best stadiums I’ve ever been to,” said Mason, a 24-time Australian international.
Everton need to swiftly build on that and confirm multiple events for the next 12 months, whether that is international sporting events or music concerts — ideally, a combination of both.
But Everton must also take responsibility and accountability for the issues to ensure they are fixed, and ensure this magnificent ground is as top class as it should be.