The decision to make Goodison Park the new home of Everton Women follows an in-depth review of the Goodison Legacy project by Dan Friedkin's group since their takeover in December
The decision to make Goodison Park the new home of Everton Women follows an in-depth review of the Goodison Legacy project by Dan Friedkin's group since their takeover in December
Evertonians waiting for news on what will happen to Goodison Park beyond this season have an answer. Everton Women will be playing at the stadium in 2025-26.
The Blues confirmed the major decision on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the clash with Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday. That will be the final time the men's team play at Goodison, which has been their home for 133 years.
There will be more chapters written at the Old Lady yet though for Brian Sorensen and his Women's team, although the decision is one that will likely split opinion among supporters.
And our writers shared their view on the upcoming move....
Joe Thomas
This is a positive move, one that is good for Everton Women, Everton Football Club and the Walton community that surrounds Goodison Park.
This support for Everton Women from the club's new owners, The Friedkin Group, is a landmark move and the decision will give the side a genuinely iconic home. Brian Sorensen's team will now have the platform it deserves and this sends a powerful message that will strengthen the women's game.
The club always wanted to retain a presence on the site and the likelihood was that would in the form of Everton in the Community as part of the Goodison Legacy Project. That would have offered positives for the area but the demolition of the Grand Old Lady would have been a sad old day and my fear was that the club's presence in the area would be tough to manage.
Whatever happened to the land, it would always have been a site of pilgrimage for the Blues and there would have been something strange about iconic landmarks such as the Holy Trinity statue losing the mooring provided by the stadium.
Given that the site would always retain emotional significance to supporters I think it is better that the club keeps it under its ownership. And the retention of the stadium itself offers so much potential.
There is no doubt the ground needs renovating and that will happen in time. But there is now the opportunity to make it a centrepiece of the club's future presence around the city and, beyond hosting games, there must be the chance to look into attractions such as a museum there.
The footfall from the men's team will still be a loss to the area but matchdays will still bring important crowds to a businesses that thought it would lose them. It could also attract tourists and other visitors whose presence will strengthen the local economy.
I understand that this may be a tough development to make sense of emotionally, given the force of the farewell to Goodison campaign we have lived through.
But in time, this should only be a good move.
Matt Jones
So it's not quite goodbye to Goodison Park. Not at all, in fact.
For Brian Sorensen and the Everton Women players this will be a huge honour. Of course, Goodison will change in the years to come as adaptations are made to the stadium in line with the demands of the women's game.
Still, there's a chance to keep the spirit of it alive for another generation. And doing so can help attract and captivate a new audience for the women's team as the game continues to grow in the country.
It would be strange not to feel emotionally conflicted about the decision though. Evertonians have been gearing up for a farewell to the Old Lady ever since the move to Bramley-Moore Dock was confirmed. But for the foreseeable future, it's still going to be there. You will still be able to walk through those turnstiles and sit in 'your' seat if you want.
On the one hand, it shows how committed the new owners are to investing in the Women's team. Under the previous regime, the financial crisis the club found itself in had a devastating effect on the squad's progress that was often overlooked.
To catch up to the best teams in the country, Everton Women will need facilities to match. Goodison Park in its current state may not be that, although if it can be adapted over the years to become the best venue for women's football in the country - not to mention one steeped in history - then that should be an exciting journey that yields significant reward.
The decision should also keep a semi-regular pulse in an area of the city that will be braced for a brutal drop-off in footfall once the men's team move. Pubs, food outlets and other businesses would surely welcome the call.
It may take some getting used to and the shadow of Goodison still looming could add an awkward edge to any Bramley-Moore moving pains.
But at the end of the day, perhaps this is the best of both worlds? One version of Everton is moving into an incredible new venue in a stunning location that we've craved for years, another version of the Blues is staying at a spiritual home that plenty do not want to leave behind.