The Hill Dickinson Stadium was built for Everton fans to watch football, but it will now host a game of rugby in July.
The inaugural Nations Championship match between Fiji and England will take place at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday 11th July 2026 once the Premier League campaign is over, but what will this event mean for Everton financially?
Adam Williams – Head of Football Finance and Governance Content for GRV Media – has now spoken to Everton News about the Nations Championship match and what it means for The Friedkin Group.
What do you miss most about Goodison Park after months in the Hill Dickinson Stadium? 🥺
The new stadium has surpassed all expectations so far 🔥
Gary Neville quote on Goodison Park's shaky gantry.
Credit: Getty Images/Matt McNulty.
Exclusive: “Exciting times for Everton” as Nations Championship match set to help bridge gap on Newcastle
When asked what this rugby match between Fiji and England means for Everton after the Hill Dickinson Stadium was confirmed as the chosen venue, Williams said: “Everton’s accounts for 2025/26 will be fascinating, but we’ll probably have to wait until the spring of 2027 to get access to them, so it’s difficult to assess the full financial impact of the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“In my view, the matchday income stuff is pretty simple to work out. It’ll end up at around £45m or so for the season, but the impact of the naming rights deal, retail and non-football events is harder to work out. For context, Tottenham earned about £55m for hosting non-football events in their last financial year, but they can charge premium prices because of their geography, plus that was for 16 non-football events. I believe Everton’s license for the time being doesn’t allow quite as many.
Hill Dickinson Stadium will host an international rugby union fixture this summer, as Fiji take on England in the inaugural Nations Championship on Saturday 11 July 2026! 🏉🏟️
Head to https://t.co/Xu5xBqhT7G for more information and ticket details. ⬇️
— Everton (@Everton) February 23, 2026
View Tweet
“It also depends how the agreements are structured. For the England-Fiji rugby match, will Everton get a rental fee from the match promoter, a cut of ticket sales or a mix of both? And because they outsource their catering for Aramark, that will also affect how much they earn on the night – in effect, Aramark are probably paying seven figures annually because of the opportunity to service events like this on top of Everton’s home matches, so these events are as much about the Toffees honouring that contract and providing value to Aramark as they are about the revenue on the night.
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“All in all, I think Everton will be expecting an eight-figure revenue impact this season from non-football events, but then you have to think about costs, which eat into the net amount. Then, there’s how contracts with partners are structured.
“I would expect total commercial income to hit £100m relatively soon, though. To date, Newcastle are the only other team outside the ‘Big Six’ to have achieved that, so it’s exciting times for Everton if the Friedkins reinvest that money. Also, under the Premier League’s SCR (Squad Cost Ratio) rules that are replacing PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) from next season, high-revenue clubs like Everton will have more freedom to spend because, unlike PSR, the new rules look at turnover, not costs. The Premier League is clearly ultra-competitive at the moment, but the medium term ambition for Everton simply has to be to get into this growing contingent of clubs who challenge the Big Six every season – your Newcastles and Aston Villas. You have to get a lot of things right to get there, but the financial gravity of the club now means they have an excellent chance of doing so.”
Tottenham have already shown Everton why they must be wary of hosting too many different events at the Hill Dickinson Stadium
Hosting these occasions will do wonders for Everton financially, but it is vital for The Friedkin Group to ensure the Hill Dickinson Stadium – where a hawk was released recently – remains focused on football above all else. Just look at Spurs.
Tottenham considered many other sports when building their £1bn stadium. It is capable of hosting American football games with a retractable pitch for the NFL (National Football League). It even has a Formula 1 experience underneath the stadium, and regularly hosts music events along with boxing fights.
However, as these commercial activities go on and boost Tottenham’s finances, fans are seriously unhappy as the club edge closer to the Championship. Spurs finished 17th last season, and are currently in a relegation battle as they sit 16th – just four points above the relegation zone.
Tottenham have won just two of their 14 Premier League games at home this season.
Everton have only won four out of 13 Premier League matches at the Hill Dickinson Stadium – where there has been a distinct lack of Saturday afternoon action.
(Figures below from before Everton vs Manchester United)
What is going so wrong at the Hill Dickinson Stadium for Everton? 😳
It is now less than one win in every three following the loss against Bournemouth… 😤
A general exterior view of Hill Dickinson Stadium ahead of the Premier League match between Everton and Bournemouth.
Credit: Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA.
So – with results already far from perfect at home – The Friedkin Group must be wary of hosting too many different sports before this form improves, or else Everton fans may turn on them.
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