They say the match-going habit is impossible to break, but after 20 years of being a season ticket holder – through every high, every low, and every nerve-shredding minute in between – I’ve found that the hardest part isn’t breaking the habit; it’s admitting that the experience no longer feels like my own.
Making the decision not to renew my Everton season ticket for the 2026/27 campaign wasn’t easy. I have been a season ticket holder for over 20 years, through the highs, the lows, and everything in between.
Let me preface this by saying that the new Hill Dickinson Stadium is genuinely incredible. It is undoubtedly the best football stadium in the Premier League, and seeing Everton play in a world-class venue on the waterfront is something we all dreamed of.
However, after the debut season at the new ground, I’ve decided to give up my seat. The matchday experience has fundamentally changed, and for me, it is no longer working. I never dreamed for one moment I’d be handing back my season ticket, but here is why I’m not renewing for 2026/27.
1. Access and Time on Your Feet
The new stadium has been a real leveller for me – and not in a good way. My knees aren’t what they were, and the reality of getting to and from the stadium is physically draining. The sheer amount of time spent standing outside Sandhills station waiting for the train home, combined with the alternative – the long, arduous walk back into town – makes for a exhausting trek. Add in the significant volume of steps in and around the new concourses, and the entire matchday now involves far more time on my feet than my old routine ever demanded.
2. A Ridiculous Amount of Late and Midweek Kick-Offs
The Premier League television schedule has made holding a season ticket a logistical nightmare. Just look at the scheduling for our last five home games:
Wolves – Wednesday 19:30
Leeds – Monday 20:00
Bournemouth – Tuesday 19:30
Man Utd – Monday 20:00
Burnley – Tuesday 19:30
To make matters worse, even when fixtures are confirmed and you feel you can plan accordingly, the scheduling remains volatile. The Arsenal fixture before Christmas had already been confirmed for TV, only to be moved again to the last Saturday before Christmas at 8:00 pm. It shows a complete disregard for match-going fans.
3. The Ticketing ‘Faff’
Everton’s management of tickets has made it unnecessarily difficult to pass your seat on to a friend or family member if you cannot make a game. Physical cards are gone, and to transfer a ticket, the recipient now needs to be a paid club member for the season. If I want to give my ticket to a mate in March, he has to buy a full seasonal membership just to attend a game in the last three months of the campaign. The flexibility is gone. When I was a young lad, I’d often get tickets last-minute for free or for very little. Without that access, I wonder how many “lost generations” of fans the new ticketing barrier will create.
The days of “any spares?” are gone.
4. The Resale Platform
It has become abundantly clear that securing a seat without a season ticket is no longer the hurdle it once was. It is now very easy to buy tickets via the official resale platform – provided you’re a paid-up member for access, of course. Eye roll. At our old home, giving up your season ticket meant you’d likely struggle to get back in. Now, I can simply cherry-pick the games, without being ‘stuck’ with a ticket I can’t give away for a rainy Monday night in January.
5. The Cost
We all expected price increases, but personally, I find the cost is too much. The club had one chance to capitalise on fans finding their feet with a new match day routine and they’ve blown it by charging too much. As an indication, across the whole Premier League;
The Hill Dickinson Stadium is a brilliant home for the club’s future, but the current logistical and ticketing setup simply doesn’t suit me anymore and so, it’s time to give someone else the chance to take my season ticket.
This isn’t a ‘goodbye’ to the club – it’s just a change in how I choose to engage with it. The reality of matchdays has shifted, and for me, the cost of entry – both in physical effort and the sheer logistical hurdles – has finally tipped the scales.
Any spares?