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New York Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Behind the scenes at Everton's new £800m stadium
Everton's new Hill Dickinson Stadium is a hive of activity. On the day of The Athletic's visit, cranes fill the north Liverpool sky. One facilitates the installation of the first of what will eventually be four club crests, situated on the far corners of the east and west stands. Other recent work has centred on displaying the branding of naming rights partner Hill Dickinson, a local legal firm come good, on the roof. Advertisement Inside and outside the near-53,000 capacity stadium, there is an urgency about the activity. That is because the countdown to the new £800million facility's opening is very much on. In just over a month, Everton will host Italian side Roma in a pre-season friendly that will serve as the final test event. It is just over 50 days until the club hosts its first Premier League game here against Brighton & Hove Albion. Structurally, the stadium is complete. A marriage of old and new, red brick and futuristic steel, its American architect Dan Meis wanted to give the impression it had emerged out of the dock on which it is situated. It is easy now to forget Hill Dickinson Stadium is quite literally built on sand. Construction took three and a half years, during which the project was recognised as the largest single-site private sector development in the country. The extent of the change has been remarkable. Four years ago, this was a semi-derelict site in a largely abandoned part of north Liverpool — a jaded, post-industrial relic from the city's maritime past. The infill took three months and involved a dredger making 130 round trips, over 20 miles out in the Irish Sea, and the collection of 480,000 cubic metres of sand from the sea bed, before it was fluidised and pumped into the dock. The stadium's skeleton is made up of around 12,500 tonnes of structural steel, seen predominantly on the north and south stands. Heritage assets — of which there are many — have been preserved and in some cases restored. Historic features likes cobbles and tramlines have been retained. The walls of the existing dock have been incorporated into the design, with surfaces visible in places. During the construction of the main supporter entrance, individual bricks had to be taken out, catalogued and then put back in the same order. The preservation of the wall means the site can, if necessary, be turned back into a fully functioning dock. The Grade II listed hydraulic tower and Engine House, built in 1883 and located in the fan plaza housed in front of the east stand has been restored. Its future use is still to be determined. Initial ideas included a museum of Everton memorabilia, but the sense now is that the space is too small to do that justice. With the rooftop area being turned into an outdoor space, it is possible the tower becomes another a bar. There are subtle nods to Everton's history and heritage too. Everton Way, a collection of around 36,000 small stones bearing the names of club legends and supporters, is close to being finished. Railings feature Goodison Park architect Archibald Leitch's famous criss-cross pattern. Further attempts to Everton-ify the interior and exterior are underway. The Athletic starts its tour in the West Stand, where Everton's players will arrive. The media lounge is currently home to the stadium operations team and there we pick up high-vis jackets and hard hats. The latter is essential when we head pitchside later, with work in the bowl and in particular the corporate lounges above continuing. Some staff have personalised Everton high-vis jackets featuring the club crest and their names. Advertisement A short walk away is the media auditorium where manager David Moyes will hold his post-match press conferences. It seats around 80 and has a high platform where the Scot and his peers will be able to tower over assembled media. The platform is so high that smaller members of the press may end up needing a hand putting their dictaphones in front of Moyes. We work our way through the bowels of the West Stand towards the tunnel. On one side, there are booths for post-match interviews. Opposite, there will be a glass wall behind which members of Everton's new Tunnel Club can sit and watch the action unfold. There are multiple routes for the players but they will be encouraged to head past that era pre and post match. Temporary wooding flooring has been put in to preserve the carpet as work continues in front of us. A retractable blue tunnel is being installed during our visit, while there is an acceptance one side of the tunnel will need Everton decorations. Goodison's tunnel had pictures of fans, players and legends in a banner style. Something similar is likely at Hill Dickinson. The bulk of the remaining work is in the corporate lounges, with hundreds of staff every day said to be helping with the internal fit-outs. As such, some of those areas are off limits. With the stadium move, the club's corporate capacity is set to swell from around 1,500 to 5,500. Heading outside by the dugout area, the pitch already looks immaculate. The initial surface used for the first two test events was dug up and relaid in April. Goodison had a camber for drainage purposes. Here, there is no need due to an advanced undersoil heating system. There have been small recent cosmetic changes with the stadium bowl. Numbers have been put on supporter entrances and accessibility markings are now in place. Sight lines are much improved from the dugouts. Previously, Goodison's camber meant staff were effectively below pitch level, straining for a view of the action. Some preferred to sit in the press box at a higher vantage point. The home dressing room is far cry from Goodison too — spacious and circular instead of rectangular and cramped. A huge blue Everton crest is emblazoned on the ceiling. The adjoining rooms house showers and hydrotherapy pools, with a sole TV hanging from the wall of the latter. There is a faith room for players. Other room functions are still subject to potential change as staff assess how best to use each space. The two-tiered South Stand will hold around 14,000 home fans and has rail seating in the lower section. Rail seating will also be available in the away end, situated in the corner of the North Stand. At a 34.99° gradient, the South Stand is as steep as it can be while remaining within the rules, with the legal limit 35°. Meis' idea was to create the sense of supporters being close and on top of the pitch, aiding the atmosphere. The acoustics of the roof have been designed to allow sounds to reverberate around the stadium. There is still space, towards the top of the South Stand, reserved for Hill Dickinson branding if needed. Advertisement The long South Stand concourse offers stunning views of Liverpool's waterfront and city centre skyline. Everton hope supporters will remain there after games, making use of the food and drink on offer. Already selected as a host venue for Euro 2028, the club want the stadium to be used 365 days a year. In total, there will be 747 toilets at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Everton say it be the most accessible stadium in the UK, with its 279 wheelchair bays the most of any football arena. The club also believe it will the most sustainable stadium in the country, harnessing sun, wind and rainwater to utilise 100 per cent green energy. Some supporters have called for more Everton iconography inside the stadium. Goodison, with its painted blue and white seats, was unique and instantly recognisable. For now, at least, all seats at Hill Dickinson are blue. While there is potential for blue seats to be changed to white if necessary, the club believes the use of LED displays and big screens will make the stadium feel more 'homely'. A fan mural, also featuring Everton legends, is still to go up on the west side of the stadium. No plans are in place to bring any of Goodison's statues to the new site. The idea is that club icons will remain at Goodison, where they forged their legacy. In time, new heroes and statues may well appear at Hill Dickinson too. A new chapter is just around the corner for Everton. The work to get the new stadium ready for its curtain raiser continues apace. (Design: Eamonn Dalton for The Athletic; Images: Everton FC, Getty)
New York Times
25-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Dan Meis on Everton's new stadium: Doubts on project, recreating Goodison's ‘cauldron', club's faith
Dan Meis, the American architect behind Everton's new stadium, has said he wondered 'lots of times' whether the project would ever happen. Everton will move to the new 52,888 capacity arena from the start of next season after overcoming a number of significant hurdles during the course of the £800million scheme. Advertisement Planning permission was granted in February 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, while Everton were forced to abandon sponsorship deals, including a potential naming rights partnership, with companies linked to the sanctioned Uzbek-born oligarch Alisher Usmanov after Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine a year later. Construction also happened at a time when former owner Farhad Moshiri, himself with links to Russia and Usmanov, was looking to sell the club and with the team in regular relegation trouble. As a result, funding plans had to change several times and the club became increasingly reliant on short-term, high-interest loans to cover costs. Everton have since been bought by The Friedkin Group, based in Houston, Texas. Asked whether he had ever considered the prospect that the development would not proceed, Meis said: 'Lots of times. We had Covid, the war in Ukraine… all kinds of things that threw the club into disarray at various times. It's not for the faint of heart and really does take a lot of commitment. 'I know fans at times were questioning all kinds of things about the leadership. (Former Everton chairman) Bill Kenwright, for example, became a bit of a lightning rod at times. 'This building would not be here without him. Full stop. He was a passionate defender of mine and I wouldn't be here without him, so it takes so much for these things to fall into place.' 'It's been a long, 10-year road to get to this stage, but it's heart-pounding to see people in the stadium and to see their reaction. It's really priceless.' Everton Stadium designer @Meisarch on an emotional experience at yesterday's test event. 🏟️ — Everton Stadium (@EvertonStadium) March 24, 2025 Meis was in attendance at the Everton Stadium on Sunday for Everton Under-21s' 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers B — the second of three test events to be completed before the site obtains its safety certificate. Speaking to reporters at the event, the Los Angeles-based architect said his main preoccupation during the design process had been capturing the 'history' and 'magic' of Goodison Park, Everton's home of 133 years. 'The thing that really hit me the very first time I went to Goodison was how it really was this cauldron,' Meis said. 'You were really on top of the pitch and, sure, there were things in your eyesight like columns, but it was a proper English football stadium and that's hard to recreate. 'That was very intimidating because the last thing I wanted to do — and I've seen that with other new buildings — is that you lose some of the magic of the history. So it's subtle. But proximity was important, steepness was important. No fuss — we didn't want a bunch of commercial things getting in the way, just fans on the pitch. Advertisement 'I was very conscious that I was American and didn't want to take anything for granted. In some ways, that worked to my advantage because I dove deep into the history of Goodison and the city. It wasn't about a shiny new building. It was: 'How do we take that magic and move it to a very important, historic site without losing that energy?'. 'The direction from the club was very clear early on. It was, 'We're not Wembley or even Tottenham for that matter'. This is about a proper football stadium. Of course, you need it to be commercially viable and help the club grow, but to do that in a way without losing the on-top-of-the-pitch feel and intimidation.' Meis spent Sunday morning walking around the site and getting a progress update on the development, with Everton in the final stages of completing the internal fit-out of the corporate lounges. A third test event will happen later this season, with the bulk of the work over the summer likely to centre on improving the pitch and making the stadium more 'homely' before Everton's first competitive game in August. Meis expects to be in attendance for that match and for the Goodison atmosphere to translate across to the new waterfront site. 'Walking in, it feels so much bigger,' he said. 'There was always a fear that it wasn't going to fit (on the site), but now you walk in and it's just massive. Compared to Goodison, it feels huge, but it's also going to feel very intimate because it's so steep and we're so close to the pitch. 'I can't describe it (the feeling). I remember sketching (a design) on a napkin and, all of a sudden, it's there. It's magical. It feels like it just appears. 'That first Premier League game is going to be crazy. I can't wait, and it's great to see the club on a better footing. Everyone is breathing a sigh of relief because it could have been bad. Advertisement 'I can't say enough about the commitment of the club to do this. They could have picked sites that were easier and far less expensive, and so for all the ups and downs, I think the city and region will benefit from this.'
New York Times
06-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Everton agree £350m refinancing package for new stadium
Everton have agreed a £350million ($450m) refinancing package for their new stadium. The funding, sources with knowledge of the process say has been arranged by the US financial services company JP Morgan, replaces borrowing that supported the construction of the new 52,888-capacity venue, set to be opened early next season. Advertisement In a statement on Thursday, Everton said the 'offering was oversubscribed multiple times, ensuring competitive terms beneficial to the club'. Under previous owner Farhad Moshiri, Everton had been increasingly reliant on short-term, high-interest loans sometimes as high as 15 per cent. The new deal, secured predominantly against the new stadium, is said to see interest payments more than halved. It continues the financial restructuring of the club under new owner, The Friedkin Group (TFG), which completed its takeover in December. One of TFG's first acts was to significantly reduce Everton's debt, which at one stage had sat at around £1bn, by paying off long-term lenders like Rights and Media Funding and converting most of their own loans into equity. GO DEEPER A breathless and brilliant first look at Everton's £760m new home Designed by the American architect Dan Meis, the Everton Stadium is set to open in August, in time for the start of the new Premier League season. As well as hosting games at the 2028 European Championship, the club estimate it will generate an additional £1.3bn to the local economy. It is likely to host events 365 days a year, with sporting events and conferences part of its offering. Everton hope the move from Goodison Park, their home since 1892, can unlock higher revenues after a period of financial turmoil and help improve fortunes on the pitch. During Moshiri's time, the club slumped from mid-table to perennial relegation battles. The process to secure naming rights for the new stadium is already well underway. Everton held the first of three test events last month, with the club's under-18 side hosting Wigan in front of 10,000 fans. The next event scheduled for Sunday, March 23, will involve an under-23 game in front of a crowd of around 25,000. A final test event, close to capacity, is still to be scheduled. Most of the stadium is now complete, but work is ongoing to finish corporate boxes and bars ahead of the new season. Everton are 16th in the Premier League table, 15 points clear of relegation after a run of seven games unbeaten under manager David Moyes. They are next in action on Saturday when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. ()
The Guardian
17-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
After £800m and four years, Everton's new stadium makes its grand debut
The clue is in the name, yet it is hard to imagine now that Bramley‑Moore dock was an abandoned, neglected body of water 1,303 days ago. Twelve unexploded anti-aircraft shells from the second world war still lurked in the depths, waiting to be removed by the Royal Navy, when Everton took possession of the site on 26 July 2021. Less than four years later a magnificent, imposing, futuristic stadium has opened on the banks of the River Mersey. A torturous journey decades in the making has been worth every step. It was July 2019 at the nearby Titanic Hotel when the architect Dan Meis unveiled his grand plans for Everton's new home. Tonight it welcomed its first guests, the 10,000 fortunate Evertonians selected via a ballot to attend the first test event and game at Bramley-Moore dock. A friendly between Everton's and Wigan's under-18s has never felt so significant, or such a privilege to observe. Future quiz question answers: Everton's Demi Akarakiri kicked the first ball and Wigan's Harrison Rimmer scored the first goal at Everton Stadium. Everton lost 2-1. Everyone present was sat in the South Stand, a steep bank of 14,000 seats that will function as the home end when Everton relocate here next season. In all likelihood as a Premier League club, something that could not have been said with great certainty before David Moyes returned last month as manager. The views are superb, no obstructions here, and also impressive when looking out from the back of the South Stand at a panorama of the city skyline. The facilities are excellent, too. The concourses have vast amounts of space, refreshment kiosks and toilets. The upper Gwladys Street at the 133-year-old Goodison Park this is not. Wigan's visit was the first of three test events required for Everton to obtain the licence and safety certificate to operate at 52,888 capacity next season. All four stands will be open for the second and third events, albeit at a reduced 25,000 capacity and near capacity respectively. It is estimated the stadium will attract 1.4 million visitors to the city annually, create 15,000 jobs and contribute £1.3bn to the UK economy over its lifetime. What a quest it has been to get here. Everton went through two failed stadium projects at King's Dock and Kirkby, plus a proposal that never really got off the ground at Walton Hall Park, before settling on this site in the early years of Farhad Moshiri's ownership. Moshiri's one positive legacy should be celebrated, even though the £750m-£800m project came close to sinking Everton at times: £55m of that sum was spent preserving and restoring heritage works at Bramley-Moore, including the original dock walls that remain under the stadium, the railway tracks that carried coal to steamships on the Mersey and the Grade II-listed hydraulic tower that forms a symbolic part of a 17,000-capacity outdoor plaza. The infill of the dock took three months and 480,000 cubic metres of sand dredged from the Irish Sea. Two porpoises had to be guided out of the dock before it was sealed for good. Architecturally, Everton Stadium is the most striking, ambitious addition to the Liverpool waterfront since the Three Graces were built in the early 1900s. They were also built on an infilled dock, St George's. The inevitable teething problems that have arisen so far mainly concern access and have been beyond Everton's control. Liverpool city council recently announced a raft of parking restrictions within a 30-minute walk of the stadium that have caused uproar among local businesses. The restrictions, which came into effect on Monday and are scheduled to last 18 months, apply not only on match days but 365 days of the year. More than 7,000 people have signed a petition calling on the council to scrap the year-round parking restrictions. Local residents and businesses claim they were enforced without consultation. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion A new fanzone at nearby Sandhills train station – now just some tarmac and safety rails with no cover from the elements – was widely ridiculed when unveiled by the city region mayor, Steve Rotheram. The local authority has had more than four years to prepare for this transformational development, one that will have a huge impact on the regeneration of north Liverpool, and needs to improve transportation plans in the months ahead. Everton have played their part in ushering in a new era, for the city and for themselves. The sadness of leaving Goodison is offset by a glimpse of Everton Stadium.
