Everton's new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock
Everton's new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock Credit: Everton FC
After more than 130 years Everton FC have moved two miles away from their original home at Goodison Park.
The former ground, in Walton, Liverpool, hosted more top-flight games than any other stadium in England, but in a bid to modernise their home, the Blue's built a new stadium next to the River Mersey as Bramley-Moore Dock, a former commercial dock first opened in 1848.
The inaugural match took place back in February when Everton's under-18s faced their Wigan Athletic counterparts, in front of 10,000 spectators.
Since then there's been two further test events at the at the newly-named Hill Dickinson Stadium, and the first competitive game is this weekend, Saturday 23 August, as they face Brighton
How big is Everton’s new stadium?
Everton’s new home, situated at Bramley-Moore Dock in Vauxhall, is set to be the seventh-biggest stadium in the Premier League, with a capacity of 52,888.
Only Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham, Tottenham and Manchester United have larger grounds.
Parts of the stadium will also feature safe-standing seats.
The club has also confirmed that the ground is “future-proofed”, meaning it can increase its capacity should the government change the legislation surrounding the ratio of one person standing to one seat.
In total, the project will give Everton more than 13,000 extra seats when compared to Goodison Park.
How much did Everton’s new stadium cost to build?
The initial cost of moving away from Goodison Park was estimated to be around £500 million, but it is now believed to have cost closer to £800 million, with the club enlisting the help of international banks, such as JP Morgan, to finance the move.
The true extent of the stadium’s cost was revealed in documents from Everton’s appeal to their 10-point deduction in the 2023-24 season, due to a breach of the Profit and Sustainability Rules.
What are Everton's plans for the new stadium?
The Club moved into the Hill Dickinson in time for the 2025-26 Premier League season.
After three test events in the first half of 2025, the first competitive fixture featuring the first team is the Brighton game on Saturday 23 August.
The stadium has also been chosen as one of six English venues to host the 2028 European Championships, alongside Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park and Villa Park.
Alongside the Euros, Everton’s new stadium may also be used for the first Rugby League ashes in more than 20 years.
How do supporters get to the new stadium?
Fans are being told to plan ahead, as the "real test awaits" for Merseyrail, ahead of the Toffee's first league game at their new stadium.
Merseyrail will be running a 15 minute service on the Southport, Ormskirk, Hunts Cross and Headbolt Lane lines before and after the match, with a new footbridge and fan management zone in place to ease the flow of people coming through the station.
Shuttle buses will also be operating before and after the game, from Liverpool city centre, Bootle and Kirkby, alongside regular bus routes.
Special, direct boats are set to continue sailing between the Gerry Marsden Ferry Terminal at the Pier Head, and Seacombe for those travelling across the River Mersey, and Sandhills, Bank Hall and Moorfields are all also within walking distance of the stadium on arrival.
For more information see Merseytravel's website here:
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