Goodison Park’s new life after Everton’s departure is taking shape, with parts of the old stadium now being used as classrooms by an education trust carrying the club’s name.
Georgia Gould MP, Minister of State for School Standards, visited Goodison on 3 September to see the work of Everton Multi-Academy Trust at first hand. The visit came shortly after People’s Learning Trust officially changed its name to Everton Multi-Academy Trust, known as EMAT.
The new identity reflects a relationship with Everton stretching back to the creation of Everton Free School and Everton Football College. Everton Free School & Football College was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2024, while the trust was recognised at the TES Schools Awards in June.
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Everton Free School opened in 2012 and was the first institution of its kind established by a Premier League football club. What began as a single academy trust has since expanded considerably.
Steven Baker OBE, chief executive of Everton Multi-Academy Trust, said: “This is a proud day for our Trust, and an exciting day for our future.”
“Our association with Everton goes back to the opening of Everton Free School and Football College 14 years ago. Since then, we’ve converted from a single academy trust to a multi-academy trust and grown to have six schools sit within our remit.”
That relationship is particularly visible inside Goodison itself. Former hospitality and broadcast spaces in the Park End have been redeveloped into classrooms for Everton Football College, giving areas once associated with Premier League matchdays a permanent educational purpose.
Alison Haynes, chair of EMAT trustees and Everton’s Chief Tax and Sustainability Officer, said: “As a football club, we embrace our role in supporting local people and have a long-standing commitment to education and inclusion in L4 and across our region.”
The trust’s reach extends beyond Goodison. Everton midfielder Merlin Rohl recently visited Oldfield Primary School in Chester, one of the schools within EMAT, where he watched pupils taking part in an after-school chess club.
Goodison Park takes on a different role
Goodison hosted its final men’s Premier League fixture in May 2025, when Everton beat Southampton 2-0 before the club’s move to the Hill Dickinson.
That ended one chapter of the stadium’s history without bringing Goodison’s usefulness to an end. Everton Football College and EMAT are part of the ground’s evolving purpose, with the converted Park End classrooms perhaps the clearest example yet of how a stadium synonymous with football for more than a century can continue to serve its community.
Everton Free School & Football College’s Outstanding Ofsted rating was awarded following an inspection in April 2024, with all five areas assessed by inspectors receiving the top grade.
Baker’s comments following Gould’s visit, reported by the Liverpool Echo, point towards further growth for the trust.
For Everton supporters, the transformation also offers a glimpse of Goodison’s future. The Premier League football has gone, but the old ground remains part of everyday life in L4.
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