I enjoyed the first opportunity to take the family and myself to the new Everton Stadium on Sunday as the Under-21s played against Bolton Wanderers B. It was an exciting time for everyone and we got there pretty early, to soak it all in, understand how it’s going to work, have a test run in the car for parking and where we could have a bite to eat.
It was a great day and no matter how many times you drive past the stadium, to walk through the dock wall and into the fan zone area of the ground is mighty impressive.
I was itching to get inside but they had a band on and everyone was taking photos, and in awe over what the club have built. It was great to catch up with some people I haven’t seen in a while and have a chat, but I just wanted to go in.
I was sat in the upper East Stand so the climb up to the top was much needed to get some muscle mass back into these legs. After all my hard work of walking up the steps, I had to give in to the toffee doughnut, so I probably ended up with a blue face for the majority of the game!
The concourse was nice and open – it just seems like a properly-built football ground – and when you step out into your block, you realise how steep the stands are and how close you are to the pitch.
There were only 10,000 allowed in for the first test event and then 25,000 for this one, but you can feel what it’s going to be like when the stadium is full to the rafters with almost 53,000 inside it. People who were at the first test event at the stadium told me how pictures don’t do it justice and I couldn’t understand that until I’d turned up myself but they’re right, they don’t.
What hits you straight away is that while lots of photos of the site look spectacular, they don’t capture just how grand it is. Even the North Stand, that some have said looks small on photos, is a large stand when you see it up close.
It’s good that the fans have these test events to get themselves acquainted with the new surroundings because during the game, lots of the spectators just seemed to be soaking it all in, looking around and thinking: ‘Wow, how have they built all this?’ It’s been a dream for us for quite a while and while we all love Goodison Park, times have got to move on.
We’ve been talking about Everton’s need for a new stadium for far too long but there is a realisation now that it’s actually here. The time has come, this is going to be our new home.
By the time we kick off in the first league game next season, the fans will understand how it all works and will be able to get behind the side to get a good atmosphere going to cheer the boys on. I know David Moyes says he’s going to stay away until our Premier League status has been secured and I wanted to wait until our first competitive match there but pressure from my children and the thought of missing out ensured I had to go and I’m glad I’ve done it.
There are lots of details around the stadium that you won’t necessarily notice at first sight but each time you go back, you’ll spot something different, which I feel is really clever from both Dan Meis and the football club.
Last time I went to the site, the dock had only just been filled in, so it’s been a dramatic change since then. Experts were explaining to me how they were going to build it, but I couldn’t take it all in, my brain doesn’t work like that – I can’t visualise how a colour is going to look on my living room wall until it’s painted on!
This is a really forward-thinking stadium that will retain the energy that Goodison creates. Yes, it’s going to be a versatile money-making, able to host concerts and other things like that, but first and foremost, unlike West Ham United – or even Wembley to some extent – it’s built for football, and it’s built for Evertonians.
Every footballer wants to be playing in a good atmosphere and if you’re playing away from home, an intimidating one can knock you off your game. We want to start being like that down at Bramley-Moore Dock, like Goodison used to be.
If the players are performing, the fans will back them up. Goodison has been fantastic in that respect over the years, and opposition sides didn’t like going there so we want that type of situation at the new stadium.
Okay, the visitors will have a nice-shaped changing room and lovely showers, but once they step out on the pitch, it should be like a gladiator stepping out into the arena with question marks over who has got the right mindset and perform in those situations. As a home player, when your fans are behind you, they can give you that push to sprint that extra yard.
Goodison has brought that out of Everton players for generation after generation. They way the new stadium is set up, it’s ready for that and it’s up to the players to show that they’ve got that determination to impress.
We all know what the noise can be like at Goodison Park, but I’m sure it’s going to be a lot louder at the new stadium.