Everton are among the Premier League leaders for fan experience at Hill Dickinson Stadium with their stewards ranked number one in the division
Supporters are loving life at Hill Dickinson Stadium with Eveton delivering one of the most significant improvements in the Premier League for matchday experience in their first season at their new home on the Mersey waterfront.
Imagine a team climbing 12 places in a year on the pitch? Well, that’s what Everton have done with their results from the Premier League’s official Matchday Fan Experience & Engagement Survey.
It shows the Blues ranked fifth in the league, with an overall score of 74.2, up more than eight points on last season and well above the division’s average.
The move to Hill Dickinson Stadium has delivered a clear step-change in the supporter experience, with every core in-stadium metric improving year-on-year from Goodison Park to the club’s new home.
Matchday atmosphere has risen from 71% to 89% positive
Facilities and stadium investment now stands at 92% positive sentiment, from last year's 69%, reflecting the impact of the club's new waterfront home
Cleanliness and overall welcome have increased significantly, rising from 66% to 93% and 67% to 79% respectively, moving well above league averages
Food and drink satisfaction has improved from 20% to 58%, now ranking among the top three in the Premier League
Everton’s matchday operations have also been a standout success. Stewarding ranks first in the Premier League, while the overall attitude and performance of club staff ranks third.
This consistency of delivery from the club's workforce is reflected across key supporter touchpoints, with ticket office staff ranked fifth and catering staff sixth in the league.
Much of this is down to the work of the Blues’ staff, who are overwhelmingly local and fully committed to delivering for supporters. An individual but telling example of why they’re so highly regarded came from Sunday’s historic first Merseyside Derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton fan Edward Clothier took to X (formerly Twitter) to write the following: “If you don’t know me, my full name is Edward, but I’m called Teddy, and I’m autistic, I had a bit of a wobble before the game going up to my seat, got a bit upset as I hate derbies and I find them quite loud.
“I felt like I couldn’t go up to my seat, I was holding myself back as I was too nervous, but the stewards came to see if I was ok about 10-15 minutes into the first half. They looked after me and they took me into the sensory box for the first half, so thank you to Alan.”
The club has also delivered a best-in-class digital experience, ranking first in the Premier League for both WiFi connectivity and mobile phone signal. This is driven by Everton’s partnership with HPE Aruba and the installation of a distributed antenna system (DAS), providing enhanced 4G and 5G coverage across the entire stadium footprint.
Across the wider matchday offer, Everton also rank within the top five Premier League clubs for 'fanzone experience' at the Budweiser Plaza (4th), cleanliness (3rd), in-stadium announcements (5th), matchday food and drink (4th), and the matchday programme (4th) and together, these results position Hill Dickinson Stadium among the leading matchday venues in the Premier League and Europe.
The report highlights a shift in supporter confidence, with all key sentiment measures showing substantial year-on-year increases to now sit above the Premier League average.
Overall, how positive supporters feel about the club has surged from 33% to 94%
Perception of Everton as a “well-run club” has risen from 6% to 80% , with last year’s figure recorded prior to the takeover by The Friedkin Group
Confidence in the club’s long-term vision has increased from 28% to 75%, again all above the league benchmark
Supporters report feeling more engaged and valued, with Everton performing above the league average across a number of fan engagement measures, including listening and responding to supporters, communication around fixtures, engagement from club leadership, and community initiatives. The vast majority of supporters also believe the club makes a significant contribution to the local community, underlining the continued impact of Everton’s engagement with fans and the work of Everton in the Community beyond matchdays.
An Everton statement on the results reads as follows: “These findings provide a powerful endorsement of Everton’s first season at Hill Dickinson Stadium, demonstrating both a transformed matchday experience and a continued connection with supporters.
“Everton’s own post-match supporter surveys reinforce the findings of the Premier League’s Fan Experience & Engagement Survey, highlighting a consistently strong in-stadium experience at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“Supporters rate key elements, such as seat view and sightlines, staff friendliness and helpfulness, and pre-match communications among the highest-performing areas, with atmosphere and stadium entry also scoring strongly.
“These results underline the success of the club’s new home in delivering a high-quality matchday environment once supporters are inside the stadium footprint.
“With continued investment in stadium facilities, fan engagement and community initiatives, the club will look to build on this momentum as it enters its second season at its new home.”