Everton Football Club will unveil a Gary Speed Memorial Bench at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday – a permanent tribute to one of the club’s most admired former players and its first-ever talking bench.
Talking benches have been rolled out across the UK in recent years as a low-tech but effective intervention to encourage conversation, tackle loneliness and isolation, and connect people with mental health support. They offer a place to pause, talk openly, or simply sit alongside others without judgement.
The announcement lands on a poignant date for the Everton community, marking 14 years since Speed’s passing.
READ MORE: See Aldi’s final Kevin and Katie Christmas ad – and the twist that could stop the wedding
Everton’s bench, created with the full blessing of Speed’s family, carries the inscription:
“IN MEMORY OF GARY SPEED, EVERTONIAN, CAPTAIN, LEADER 1969–2011.
A place for what is often unspoken. A place to sit, share and listen.”
Positioned on the Budweiser Fan Plaza, the bench also provides discreet signposting to professional mental health services and crisis resources. A QR code links directly to Everton in the Community’s programmes, including The People’s Place – the Premier League’s first purpose-built mental health and wellbeing hub when it opened in March 2023.
As part of the Club’s involvement in the Premier League’s ‘Together Against Suicide’ pilot, trained Everton in the Community staff will be stationed around the bench before every home fixture. Supporters can approach staff confidentially for conversation, guidance, or information on available services.
The project was proposed by the Everton Fans’ Forum as a meaningful legacy to Speed. The unveiling comes ahead of Saturday’s fixture against Newcastle United – the closest home game to the anniversary of his passing and a meeting of two clubs he represented.
Gary’s family will visit the bench ahead of kick-off.
Neville Southall, an Everton Giant and Speed’s former team-mate, said: “You would never associate Gary with a bench, because he was a fella who seemed to have everything. But in many respects it’s very apt. If you sit there and think everybody else’s life is perfect, you can reflect on a man who was a wonderful footballer and a great manager – but still had his own problems.”
Dave Wycherley, Vice Chair of the Everton Fans’ Forum, added: “We wanted to remember Gary Speed in the most constructive way, and we hope this bench becomes a lasting legacy. Problems feel lighter when shared, and Everton has always been a club where supporters mix, talk, and escape life’s pressures for a while. Football brings out community at its best, and being outdoors helps those conversations come naturally.”
The Gary Speed Memorial Talking Bench will be open to supporters from Saturday, on both matchdays and non-matchdays, offering a permanent space for reflection, conversation and connection – and a reminder that no Evertonian has to struggle alone.