Everton will be determined to return to winning ways on Monday when they face Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium but while David Moyes’ men have struggled with their home form of late, their new 52,769-capacity base on the Mersey waterfront continues to turn heads across the football world.
This week marked the first anniversary of the inaugural test event as the Under-18s faced their Wigan Athletic counterparts. The visit of regional rivals United – who themselves have ambitious plans to build a new stadium next to Old Trafford – promises to be the most intense fixture at Hill Dickinson Stadium to date with both the Merseyside Derby against Liverpool and Manchester City to come in the final two months of the Blues’ historic first season since their move from Goodison Park.
As exclusively revealed by the ECHO last week, European giants AC Milan sent a team of delegates to the Bournemouth game as they seek inspiration from Everton’s new home when rebuilding the San Siro.
However, the Serie A side are far from alone in this respect. As well as a number of other clubs from the Premier League and Championship, Everton have also had similar visits from teams in Germany and Brazil who are looking at their own stadia.
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While there are always teething issues and people may not be happy with all elements of their new matchday experience, one of the clear consensuses from all the conversations is that the Blues’ switch to Bramley-Moore Dock has been one if not the best stadium transitions. As also previously reported in the ECHO, during Leeds United’s visit last month, a senior staff member of the Yorkshire club looked out across the panorama of the site’s exterior when walking down the West Stand steps and simply said: “They’ve got it right.”
He’s far from alone though. Here’s a sample of other visitors to Hill Dickinson Stadium who have been blown away by Everton’s new home...
Rowan Moore
(Architecture critic of The Observer)
The new stadium is a convincing object of pilgrimage and pride that holds its own among the big functional structures of past and present industry. It is a great thing to have a stadium on the water, and the derelict surrounding areas are already sprouting opportunistic bars with impromptu pavement tables, as if this were Naples.
Martin Tyler
As I commented on the final game at the Toffees’ historic former ground, Goodison Park, their iconic home for 133 years, I was hoping for such an assignment and Premier League Productions kindly gave me the opportunity for the game against Crystal Palace. It didn’t disappoint.
The first impressions are pure 21st century, maybe beyond. The structure from a distance is mightily impressive, space-age style, and a huge contrast to the neighbouring streets and buildings, which reek of dockland history.
I found that contrast working both ways, combining, admiring the eye-catching structure of the stadium with a wish to know more about the city of Liverpool, when it was one of the biggest and busiest ports in the world.
Holding back the Mersey must have taken some remarkable feats of engineering. The day of the match against Palace coincided with the tail-end of Storm Amy.
The water was angry. It added a spectacular sense of drama without threatening, I’m glad to say, the rock-solid safety of the new build.
Getting to the gantry is a far cry from the notorious, tricky route at Goodison Park. That climb up the outside of the Bullens Road stand, a clamber across the roof, a drop down through a trap door onto the platform.
Scary for the faint-hearted, particularly when there was slippery frost about. At the Hill Dickinson, you glide up the levels on escalators. The sight lines and the gantry’s position are very similar to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There is a splendid south stand with 14,000 seats behind the right-hand goal as you look from the television pictures. It is the upmarket version of Goodison’s Gwladys Street End and the acoustics are exceptional.
Wayne Rooney
(after the Fulham match)
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It was brilliant. I've been to the stadium a few times. At the end of last season, I watched the under-18s against Bolton. And then I went and just done a tour as well at the end of last season. I took my lad to the game yesterday and I loved it.
The atmosphere was really good. And I sat next to Peter Reid, which is always fun! So great win, a needed win, I think, as well.
The stadium is incredible, what they've done with the stadium. I think the worry when you go into a new stadium is, can you get the atmosphere in there, but the atmosphere was brilliant, loved it.
Unai Emery
Everton are playing better, they are playing with confidence and they are playing here, excited with the new stadium - a fantastic stadium – with the supporters. I enjoyed a lot of the match, competing, suffering, but I enjoyed it and this is the way I want it.
It is a fantastic stadium and of course they needed it, it is clear. Goodison Park is a very good stadium but old.
Mikel Arteta
Before I leave, guys, I want to congratulate everybody at this football club at Everton, everybody has contributed to building this amazing stadium, because it was incredible to witness, not only the way they’ve done it, the atmosphere that they created. So, as an ex-player and someone that supports this club, congratulations to all of them.
Mat Kendrick
(Head of Sport Specialists, Mirror, Star, Express and Reach regionals plus Aston Villa fan)
Everton fans kept their newfound feel-good factor rolling by generating an atmosphere every bit as passionate and partisan as our train buddy Tom had predicted. Our padded seats near the halfway line were so close to the action that we were sat just a handful of rows behind David Moyes, his coaches and the Everton substitutes.
When Emi Buendia's foul on Iliman Ndiaye sparked a mini melee near the touchline we couldn't just see it, we could feel it, while the boos that rang out near us were ear-splitting when Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott came on for his Villa debut as a second-half substitute.
Gary Lineker
I was at Everton (v Nottingham Forest), I had a good time, it was really good. Peter Reid said I had to come up and see the Hill Dickinson.
I went up with my mate JD and it was brilliant, what a stadium… honestly it’s amazing and the acoustics inside… they’ve obviously done some work for the sound, and it was jumping in there.
It was really good, they looked after us really well, saw a few faces I hadn’t seen for a few years, which was lovely. All in all, we had a really good time and good food.
Marca
THE NEW EVERTON STADIUM IS INSANE! This is how the newly inaugurated Hill Dickinson Stadium looked, packed with fans during this past weekend’s matchday — truly a beauty!
Daily Telegraph
Everton's dizzying new stadium is already a Mersey gem.
The Athletic
An arena fit for the future.
Daily Mail
Quite magnificent.
FC Business
Every possible need catered for.
The Guardian
There is undoubtedly a feeling of joy around this place.
Manish Bhasin
(Journalist for Premier League Productions)