Everton fans tells the ECHO what Goodison Park means for them as it hosts its final men's first team game
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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 03: Everton fan group, The 1878s, organise the final pre-match display ahead of the Premier League in the Gwladys Street End before the match versus Ipswich Town at Goodison Park on May 02, 2025
Everton fans at Goodison Park before the game against Ipswich Town
(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
An Everton era comes to an end today. Goodison Park will host its final Everton men's first team match as the Blues face Southampton at midday.
It will be an emotional day for all involved, marking years of history and success at the 'Grand Old Lady'. Fans will line the streets in the morning, welcoming the team bus, before taking their seats for a Premier League match at Goodison for the last time - 133 years after the Toffees made it their home.
After the game, a ceremony will take place, involving current players, club legends and live music on the pitch. The occasion will mark the conclusion of one chapter of football heritage with the men’s team set to move to the club’s new home at Bramley-Moore Dock for next season.
Fans will no doubt stay around once that concludes - taking in the atmosphere around Goodison, returning to the pubs and chippies that have been central to matchday rituals for generations.
It is not the end for the ground, however. It was announced this week it will become the new home of Everton Women - keeping one of the world's oldest football stadiums alive for a new chapter.
But it is the end of an era and moving on will not come easy. Here, Everton fans tell the ECHO what the famous old ground means to them.
Paul Nowak, 52, from Bebington - Secretary of the Trade Union Congress
Paul Nowak outside his beloved Goodison Park
Paul Nowak outside his beloved Goodison Park(Image: Jason Roberts photography)
For just over four decades I’ve been making my way over from the Wirral to Goodison Park, so it’ll be strange on Sunday knowing it will be the last time I walk through the turnstiles in the Park End to watch the men’s team.
Those four decades have packed in their fair share of highlights and low lights in equal measure, but it won’t be the hard times I remember. It’ll be Big Dunc’s first goal in the derby, Wayne Rooney introducing himself to the world against Arsenal with the wonderful arrogance of youth, Dan Gosling sparking mayhem with his extra time winner against the Reds in the FA Cup.
I’ll remember the pre-match pints at the Spellow, before we decided to switch to the Hole in the Wall in town. Taking my kids to their first games, including my then three-year-old son’s first ever game, a 4-4 thriller against Leeds.
We met Brian Labone on the centre circle, our Joe cried for most of the game, and we only got to see two out of the eight goals because of tears, toilet breaks and trips to buy sweets.
Most of all, I’ll remember some of the best times I’ve ever spent with my dad and my brother (big and little John respectively). We have literally cried, laughed, screamed, swore and danced our way through the last four decades.
But with change, comes new opportunities, including watching Everton’s Women write a new chapter in Goodison’s history.
At the end of the day, wherever we watch our football Everton is more than a place. It’s who we are, what we love and who we love. And that’s what I’ll take to Bramley-Moore.
New traditions. New highs and lows. And above all, new hope. And as every Evertonian knows, it’s the hope that kills you!
Andy Burnham, 55, from Aintree - Greater Manchester Mayor
Andy Burnham with former Everton star Tim Cahill at Goodison Park
Andy Burnham with former Everton star Tim Cahill at Goodison Park
As told to Dan Haygarth
The mood of the fans transmits straight to the pitch - that's the beauty of Goodison. There's a unity in the place and a togetherness. Good or bad, the players know what the fans are thinking straight away. It's so connected and that's the wonderful thing.
For me, it is everything. It's who we are. From my experiences of going to the match in the 1970s, blokes you'd never met would just look out for you, pick you up and put you on a barrier.
If they saw you looking a bit lost or in trouble, it was like a massive family. Everyone helps each other. In the great moments, everyone celebrates like that. People you've never met in an absolute clinch.
Goodison is quintessential English working class culture, of a kind that was built through that post-war period. That was my experience of it - '70s and '80s Goodison.
As modern football has left us behind in some ways, I like the fact Goodison never felt any different. It was an anchor in the modern game of what the game should be. The club has been like that, despite recent challenges.
The club has anchored the game. This is what it's about, this is what it should be. I think that's why everyone feels a pang with Goodison. It's been quintessential English football and working class culture.
It's the last of the great old English football grounds. The streets are connected to the ground and the people in the ground are connected to the players. It's a fabric that's all tightly-woven together. The beauty of the stands, the architecture, the church. I could go on all day.
It's been the only thing that has been a constant in my life. You move houses, you move places, you go all over the world, the only place I've been to in every year of the past 50 is Goodison Park.
I now think the club has made a wonderful move in terms of Everton Women moving in. This is too important heritage to let it just go. It should always be a living, breathing football venue to me.
In terms of memories, everyone will say Bayern Munich (1985 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final) but I will say it too. It was electric. It was like a game we had never experienced before - the intensity, the desperation to get in. The door slammed behind us and we just got in.
Even though we were 1-0 down at half time, we knew we were going to win. Howard Kendall said the Gwladys Street End would suck the ball into the net. That quote is on the Lower Gwladys wall now. I look at that panel at half time as I have a pint.
That was the peak of the Gwladys Street for me. It was never in doubt.
In recent years, Goodison has saved us - in the end, when it came down to it, with all of the issues. In around 2022 people started to realise the place and the people needed to save the club, with the level of the peril.
Those coach welcomes that started, the 1878s, the atmospheres, the Chelsea win with Richarlison, Palace, Bournemouth - it's been traumatic. But in the end, Goodison Park has saved Everton Football Club.
That's its legacy. It got the team over the line - the people in it and the fabric of the place. The intensity of it, intimidating other teams and getting our team over the line.
Dan Haygarth, 28, from Aigburth - Liverpool ECHO reporter
ECHO reporter and Everton fan Dan Haygarth outside Goodison Park
ECHO reporter and Everton fan Dan Haygarth outside Goodison Park
It is hard not to get romantic about Goodison Park. The walk down Goodison Road to your turnstile, passing terraced houses, chippies and pubs as the smells of cigarettes, beer and gravy fill the air, is exactly how a footballing Saturday should be.
Stepping inside and walking up to your seat will never not be exciting. You are met by 133 years of footballing heritage and pure beauty, even if it is showing more than a few signs of age.
The promise of elation to come as you take your seat is palpable. Though Everton don't always hold up their end of the bargain.
The 'Grand Old Lady' means the world to me. Brought up by two Blue parents with memories of the glory days, it was always going to.
I was not taken to a game until I was eight, with my mum and dad wanting to make sure I was old enough to appreciate it properly. I'll never forget that first trip - a surprise 1-0 win over Arsenal in January 2006, courtesy of a James Beattie goal.
I was hooked, instantly. Seeing the ground that had previously, for me, only existed on Match of the Day and Radio City, was a thrill. It has remained such ever since.
My 28 years may have coincided with a pretty lean period in Everton's history and there have been plenty of Goodison afternoons to forget, but I have countless happy memories, shared with friends, family and strangers, at that famous old ground.
Swatting Arsenal aside 3-0 in 2014 remains the best Everton performance I've ever seen. So good it tricked me into thinking the glory days were on their way back.
I cherished the European nights the season after. Sitting in the Gwladys Street to witness an all-time great Goodison eruption as we booked our place at Wembley, courtesy of a Romelu Lukaku masterclass against Chelsea in the FA Cup in 2016, is up there.
Maybe the standout, however, is the noise after Dominic Calvert-Lewin planted a header into the back of the Gwladys Street End's net to make it 3-2 against Palace in 2022. An explosion of ecstasy and relief - unlike anything I've ever heard.
A club like Everton have no business scrapping for Premier League survival, but when placed in context that night was extraordinary. The ground quaked as Goodison once again dragged Everton out of trouble.
I love everything about that place. The sense of belonging and unity shared with close to 40,000 others, the history and the glory it represents, the nerves and anticipation inspired by the start of Z-Cars, the sound of wooden seats thumping back as expectant fans stand for a corner, the split-second of silence that precedes the cacophony of noise that greets a goal.
But most of all I love the way it shakes to its Victorian foundations when we score a late winner. There is simply nothing like it.
It is the end of an era. An exciting future for the men's team beckons on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey. A new chapter will begin for the women's team.
I'm delighted the ground is staying alive. It carries far too much social history to be reduced to rubble. Rooted in its community, Goodison Park represents all that is good about English football.
It is perfect, pillars and all.
Sam McPartland, 53, from Stoneycroft - Everton’s Her Game Too Ambassador
Everton fan Sam McPartland
Everton fan Sam McPartland(Image: Sam McPartland)
My first game at Goodison Park was April 20, 1987, against Newcastle. I had pestered my Dad to take me and my brother Paddy for ages and he eventually gave in.
I will never forget my first view of the pitch from the corner of the Upper Gwladys Street and the noise of the crowd.
We won that day 3-0 thanks to a Wayne Clarke hat trick and I couldn’t wait to go again. For the next season me and Paddy had Junior Evertonian memberships and we used to go together to the Lower Gwladys Street when it was all standing. 38 years later we are still in the Lower Gwladys and have been season ticket holders for many years.
Goodison means the world to me, it’s been the one constant in my life through good and bad times. Where I sit now I’ve seen those people every few weeks for nearly 25 years.
They have gone on to have their own families who are now young adults. Some of those people sitting around us have become good friends outside of Goodison. Some of those friends are sadly no longer with us but they have never been forgotten.
One of the saddest things about leaving is that we may never see or sit with those people again.
I met my husband, Peter, who is also a Blue, in 2001. He now sits in front of us, with his sister. My nephew, now 19, has been coming since he was three and sits with us and alongside Paddy’s best friend from school.
There have been so many memorable games and goals it is hard to choose my favourites. I think my top goals have to be Wayne Rooney’s v Arsenal in 2002 (the ground shook under my feet), Duncan Ferguson’s against Manchester United in 2005 and Seamus Coleman’s against Leeds in March 2023.
I will never forget the derby in May 1989 only a few weeks after the Hillsborough disaster, for obvious reasons. Goodison has been part of my life for so long that I am going to find Sunday very difficult, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Laura Gates, 28, from Heswall - Photographer
Laura Gates with her brother Joseph outside Goodison Park
Laura Gates with her brother Joseph outside Goodison Park
Goodison Park isn’t just a stadium, it’s the heart of my Everton story, woven into my life from the very beginning. Born into a family split between red and blue, I was destined to be a Blue, thanks to my mum and grandad, who insisted it was character-building.
Although I’d been much earlier, my first vivid memory is from April 2007 at the back of the Gwladys Street with my cousins. Despite the obstructed view, we were immersed in the atmosphere.
When James McFadden scored that last-minute winner against Charlton, the eruption of noise cemented my bond with Everton. As the saying goes, once Everton has touched you, nothing will ever be the same.
Over the years, my matchday rituals evolved. From sitting in the Family Enclosure with my mum to joining the arl fellas in the Main Stand, each phase has brought new friendships and cherished memories, heartbreaks and euphoria.
Pre-match pub visits, Denbigh Discos, and the post match moans shared over pints of Lilley's cider became integral to my matchday experience.
As we approach the end of our time at Goodison, I find myself arriving hours early, camera in hand, capturing the essence of matchday. The fans, the FanZone, St Luke's Church, and the incredible community that surrounds Goodison.
Meeting Evertonians from all walks of life has been a highlight. From local L4 residents to international supporters, each person carries a unique story, united by our shared love for Everton. Photographing these moments and hearing how my images help preserve their memories is profoundly moving.
Goodison has been more than a stadium; it's been a place of connection, emotion, and unwavering support. As we prepare to bid farewell, I hold onto the countless memories and the community that has made Goodison Park my home away from home.
David Humphreys, 33, from Prescot - Liverpool ECHO reporter
A young David Humphreys with former Everton captain Kevin Campbell
A young David Humphreys with former Everton captain Kevin Campbell
It hardly feels real, does it? We hear the talk of the men’s side leaving Goodison but it’s not really going to happen is it?
All those years of history, the smells, the wood, the awkward shuffling to your seat, you wouldn’t accept it at any other venue but it feels like a rite of passage at Goodison.
It sums up being an Evertonian that my first game back in 1998 was a 4-1 thumping at the hands of Aston Villa, yet 27 years later I’d be back there watching the men’s first team for a final time on a freezing cold January night as we laboured past Peterborough in the cup.
I’ve seen mini derbies when my dad introduced me to long-johns for the first time, sat in the Bullens away section to watch Soccer Six and almost fell down rows of seats as Mikel Arteta shook the Grand Old Lady’s foundations with that rocket against Fiorentina. In another year we win the UEFA Cup.
I’ll never forget being sat in the Main Stand in 2005 as we clinched our place in the Champions League with David Weir stooping at the Park End. I can remember the sunshine clear as day. It’s only places like Goodison that leave you with feelings like that.
I’m also among the lucky few to have played and refereed on the hallowed turf. Leading teams out of the tunnel to Z-Cars puts goosebumps on goosebumps and despite there only being about 12 people there, is something that will stay with me forever.
The idea of Goodison becoming flats like Highbury or being flattened like Upton Park was something I couldn’t fathom and it’s such a relief it will remain for the women’s side. A story we will carry on.
David Prentice, 62, from Formby - former ECHO sports editor
Dave Prentice at Goodison Park
Dave Prentice at Goodison Park(Image: Dave Prentice)
The footballing legend that is Peter Beardsley produced his trademark shake of the hips, darted past the bamboozled defender and crossed the ball into the six yard box where I had a tap in to complete my hat-trick. At the Gwladys Street End.
I was wearing the Royal Blue of Everton - and I wasn't dreaming. Obviously. Because the Street End was empty and I ballooned the sitter over the crossbar.
It was an end of season corporate clash I'd been invited to play in and I blew my big moment. Peter just shook his head.
It's possibly one of the few regrets I've had around Goodison Park - the beautiful, atmospheric, authentic but ageing stadium Everton's men's first team will be leaving on Sunday night.
My first ever visit was 50 years ago in March. Easter Monday 1975, when as an impossibly excited 12-year-old I got the train with my school-mates to Bank Hall, avoided the teenage would-be muggers along Rumney Road and clambered on top of a crash barrier in the enclosure near the dugouts.
You had to perch on them simply to see. And every time there was even a hint of excitement there would be a surge - yes, even in the enclosure - and you’d be sent hurtling from the barrier.
The following season I elevated to the Gwladys Street. It was five pence cheaper for a start (45p), and you could cling to the outside of a crash barrier on the raised ledge and be sure of an uninterrupted view.
And it was impossibly cool. You were stood with grown men, characters like Fozzy Bear who used to cling to a post and lead the Gwladys Street singing. And Everton were good.
Well, quite good. We beat Coventry City 1-0 that day to go a point clear at the top of an insanely tight First Division table.
The Blues had a game in hand, another home game to follow - and even the notoriously sniffy London press conceded that the League title was Billy Bingham’s to lose.
Lose it we did. We finished fourth, as we drew 1-1 with Burnley in my second match and led Sheffield United 2-0 in my third, then lost 3-2.
But only three seasons later Gordon Lee had created a wonderfully swashbuckling team which finished third, and did so in style, topscoring in the top division with 76 goals from wonderfully talented free spirits like Andy King, Duncan McKenzie, Dave Thomas and my all-time football hero, big, bustling, bearded Bob Latchford.
But that was only a forerunner to the glory days to come. I was an idealistic twenty-something when Howard Kendall created the most successful Everton football team it has ever been an Evertonian's good fortune to witness.
And I was there to revel in it. I can remember vividly so many of those wonderful days.
Beating Newcastle 4-0 in January when I left the stadium walking on air, laughing incredulously when the amazing Andy Gray got his head onto a cross from Trevor Steven against Sunderland, the astonishing Bayern night - and the afternoon Everton become champions - when I watched from the QPR end (long story and it's elsewhere on the Echo site).
They were the days when football wasn't just the most important of the least important things in life, it was THE most important.
Now I'm older, married with children and more mature, it's just the former. Sometimes.
I still don't know what was going through my head when I raced up the Press Box steps and leaped into Press Box steward's Alex's arms after Dominic Calvert-Lewin dive-headed that glorious Premier League status saver against Crystal Palace.
I had sleepless nights in the build up to that match. Yes I was a club employee then, after 35 years writing about my beloved Blues for the Liverpool Echo.
Goodison has been a place of worship, a place of celebration, occasionally a place of tears and finally a place of work. And I've loved her in all her many guises.
I'll be there on Sunday and have no idea how I'm going to feel. Hopefully too busy to be emotional. It will feel strange not to be heading there as often in the future.
At least I won't be reminded of that miss.