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Everton Stadium Test Event Leaves People Impressed

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There is no question that the closing of Goodison Park will be a sad day for football, with one of the game’s great stadiums soon to be gone for good. Evertonians have countless memories from the ‘Grand Old Lady’, both good and bad, with the Archibald Leitch-designed ground having hosted some famous moments in footballing history.

Yet it had also fallen into disrepair, so Everton needed to move on and look upwards, with the Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on Liverpool’s waterfront providing the club with a chance to do just that.

A Feeling of Excitement

Expanding Capacity at Football Stadiums
From Everton FC

The 52,888-capacity Everton Stadium, as it is currently known, is one that has garnered a wealth of compliments from people who were lucky enough to be at a test event that was held there recently. The Everton Under-18s took on the Wigan Athletic Under-18s in front of 10,000 supporters, who were located in the South Stand. It was the first game to be held at the new ground ahead of the Blues moving into it permanently in the summer, offering them a chance to learn what works and what doesn’t prior to a likely capacity crowd for the first home game of the 2025-2026 season.

There will, of course, be more test events carried out at the Everton Stadium before the new season gets underway. In late March or early April, for example, a crowd of around 25,000 is expected to attend for an Under-21s match there. There will likely be another one after that too, with whatever matches there are offering people the chance to experience the newest ground in the top-flight for themselves. It will be the seventh-biggest stadium in the Premier League and the second-largest on Merseyside behind Anfield, the home of Everton’s fierce rivals Liverpool.

The Supporters Will be Pleased it Wasn’t a Proper Match

It is fair to say that Everton’s fortunes have improved since bringing David Moyes in as manager to replace Sean Dyche. Although Dyche did well to keep the Blues up last season, his style of football was not one that the supporters enjoyed watching. Many feared it would be more of the same when it was confirmed that Moyes was to be his replacement, but the Scottish former manager has seemingly let his shackles off and Everton have been free-scoring and point-getting ever since. Even so, the test event didn’t go as planned.

@jotaslota Everton opened up their new ground next to the sewage works this evening for a test game The first goal scored there was by Harrison Rimmer. A big Liverpool fan. His celebration was ‘6 times’ towards the Evertonians that have attended #liverpoolfc #premierleague @Liverpool FC ♬ Olympo Rave – Kobe Mane & SoyFlowers

Things began in the worst possible way for Everton supporters when the opening goal was scored not by the home team, but by the visitors of Wigan Athletic. To make matters even worse, the goal was scored by a Liverpool supporter, Harry Rimmer, who promptly held up six fingers to the home crowd – a reference to the six European Cups that the Reds have won. That was 13 minutes into the game, with Cole Simms adding another for the young Latics just four minutes later. Ray Roberts did pull one back for Everton late on, but Wigan won 2-1 in a game that fans will be hoping is not a sign of things to come.

It Isn’t All Sunshine & Lollipops

There is no question that the overwhelming feeling of those in attendance at the Everton Stadium for the test event was one of positivity. Steve Hothersall, a Merseyside reporter, was left ‘amazed’ by the finished product. He said, “It’s a very special stadium; hats off to everyone who’s been involved in creating what is a unbelievable landmark on the banks of the Mersey”. He also made a comparison to the Allianz Arena in Germany, home to Bayern Munich. He also compared it to another German stadium in the Westfalenstadion, home to Borussia Dortmund.

Everton’s new stadium is about to hold its first test event 👀

It’s Everton U18 vs. Wigan U18. A new era beckons ⏳

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— Men in Blazers Media Network (@meninblazers.bsky.social) February 17, 2025 at 7:00 PM

Whilst it is obviously an impressive sight on the banks of the Mersey, it isn’t all sunshine and lollipops for the Blues. Some of the fans were quick to criticise Merseyrail, with the trains into the city being ‘overwhelmed‘ in spite of the fact that the ground was only at 20% capacity. One person said that it was a ‘disaster waiting to happen’, with another saying ‘If we didn’t know already we do now: Sandhills absolutely not fit for purpose. Needs a big and quick rethink’. Given how busy it is likely to get when more than 50,000 people head to the ground, it is far from ideal.

There were others who criticised the ‘Portaloo City’ that surrounded the stadium. Admittedly it is unfair to be too critical of it given the fact that we are still several months away from it opening, but it doesn’t look great at this early stage. The area has Portaloos around it in order to give supporters somewhere to go to the toilet. As the first match day of next season approaches, it is easy to imagine it is more likely to have stalls and places to get a bite to eat or something to drink in those locations to give it a bit more life and look more attractive.

Evertonians Should be Thrilled

Given the fact that Everton haven’t won a meaningful trophy since 1995, there have been few things for supporters to get excited about other than avoiding relegation out of the Premier League. Although it might be something of a financial noose around their neck that stops them from being able to improve vastly on the pitch, the new stadium will certainly give Evertonians something to be thrilled by. It looks like an alien spaceship has landed on Liverpool’s waterfront, making it a spectacular place to visit before you even step inside.

It is compact, allowing the supporters to feel as though they are right on top of the pitch. That will be a blessing when things are going well and the fans are getting behind the team, but it could become a curse if things go badly and Everton’s famous ‘boo’ emerges. The supporters feel as though it is ‘mind-blowing‘, thanks to the sheer size of it and the impressive nature of the build. It is, perhaps, little wonder that some are suggesting it is a move from ‘Grand Old Lady’ to ‘Supermodel Granddaughter’. Now the Blues just need to win a trophy to go with it.