What next for Everton's new stadium development and Goodison Park?
In mid-February, we invited requests from our subscribers for articles on Everton you might like to read on The Athletic as part of our latest Inspired By You series.
Over the last month, we've written extensively on some of the topics raised.
John C and Andy K wanted to hear more about the transport provision at Everton's new stadium. That piece can be found here.
Paul S and Dylan K were keen for clarity on Kevin Thelwell's future as director of football and what would come next for the club.
We used Michael P's suggestion to give a rundown on the 15 players out of contract this summer and likely outcomes there.
One of the most popular suggestions from our readers, though, was a look at plans for the new stadium (David O and Dan N) and Goodison Park (Ewan P and Neil P).
So here, in the latest in our series, The Athletic's Everton reporter, Patrick Boyland, provides an update on those two key developments.
On a stage in the glitzy French resort of Cannes, Everton director Colin Chong mapped out a vision for the club's future.
Until recently Everton's interim CEO, Chong was at global real estate conference MIPIM looking to drum up interest in the new 53,000-seater stadium, its surrounding areas and the wider regeneration of Goodison Park.
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Chong's pitch to potential investors at MIPIM was clear and potentially enticing. This summer, Everton will swap Goodison, their home since 1892, for a state-of-the-art facility on Liverpool's waterfront. With that comes opportunity.
The Everton Stadium, as it is known, sits in a largely underdeveloped part of Liverpool's north docks.
It is an area that has fallen on hard times in the post-industrial age, but one ripe with potential given its location just a mile north of the city centre.
Where once, at the height of the British Empire, 40 per cent of the world's trade came through one single Liverpool dock, now the hope is that the stadium can be a catalyst for a part of the city that has long lost its purpose.
So far, Everton have mostly had to go it alone. They have received small grants and loans from local authorities, largely so heritage assets can be maintained and restored, but became increasingly reliant on short-term, high-interest loans to cover costs.
Everton officials held conversations with UK government ministers throughout the project in the hope of attracting further investment. Their efforts were undermined by regular flux at ministerial level, with the UK having had four prime ministers in as many years. Discussions are likely to continue.
In September, Secretary of State Lisa Nandy visited the new stadium and spoke of its 'amazing potential'.
Highlight of Labour Party Conference to tour the new Everton stadium with proud Evertonian @AndyBurnhamGM and Liverpool fan @LCRMayor – who is backing this amazing project. We tried to put the smile back on Steve's face… https://t.co/yujGj4Ez6B
— Lisa Nandy MP (@lisanandy) September 26, 2024
Six months on, those words are yet to yield anything tangible, but the project has been given fresh impetus by the club's new American owners, The Friedkin Group (TFG).
TFG inherited half-baked plans, ones largely without funding, and have looked to involve developers, club officials and local and national government in talks to find a solution.
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Yet as Everton look for partners for the next phase of their proposals — potential ancillary developments near to the new stadium — they will be aware competition for funding is likely to be fierce.
Also at MIPIM were representatives from fellow Premier League club and north-west neighbours Manchester United, themselves looking for investment to fund a new stadium and wider regeneration project — this time in nearby Manchester around 30 miles away.
On the face of it, drumming up investment in schemes involving Manchester United, the 20-time champions of England and one of the world's biggest clubs, appears an easier task.
But Everton feel they have one key advantage: they are, as Chong put it, 'at least five years ahead of any other competitor'.
While Manchester United's stadium development is still a pipe dream, in need of financing and planning permission, their new stadium is a tangible reality already. 'Oven-ready,' to quote Chong's words at MIPIM.
Chong comes from a construction background and was appointed by TFG to lead on development plans at the new stadium and Goodison after impressing during the takeover process.
At MIPIM, he admitted to casting 'envious eyes' on Nelson Dock, the site adjacent to the Everton Stadium, and shed more light on the proposals. The Athletic first reported interest in Nelson Dock last year.
'There was always an idea that we might be able to develop a complementary development to support the stadium's development,' he said, as quoted by Place North West.
'Our new ownership has tasked me with looking for a sports-led redevelopment that could be accommodated on Nelson Dock, and maybe even further. Our owners are very keen to secure Nelson Dock because they believe they'll do something good with it regardless — that's their mindset, which is a breath of fresh air.
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'If I was given a wish list, that would be on the top of it: secure Nelson Dock and protect the asset that we've just developed. We're in a very unique position, there's over £750m of investment already, and that's probably the hardest part about sports-led regeneration.'
The idea remains in its infancy, but Everton are pushing on with fact-finding and surveys on the area and there is hope Chong and the club will provide more information in the coming months. Tentative discussions have taken place with land owners Peel Holdings over the Nelson Dock site.
The club are still exploring options and conducting feasibility studies with architects and engineers and no plans have yet been sent to the local council for planning permission.
Sources close to TFG, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to talk publicly on the matter, note that the group's preference is for a partnership with a private developer or local or national body. What happens around the new stadium and Goodison Park has become one of their early priorities since taking ownership in December.
TFG's background is not in real estate. Their primary industry is cars and they have branched out into luxury travel, conservation, entertainment and sports, owning Italian side Roma and Cannes of the French fourth tier.
Ideally, they would like a partner for the scheme rather than going it alone, something that for now appears off the cards.
Exactly what comes at Nelson Dock — whether it is indeed secured and how it is funded — is still up for debate. Progress is likely to be gradual rather than imminent.
The club has a lease agreement for the Nelson Dock, which has been in place throughout the build, for offices and parking. That agreement will still be in place next season. But potential ideas could include bars, restaurants, hotels and even university campuses.
Everton want the new stadium to become a 365-day site, hosting conferences, concerts and other events, and a catalyst for wider regeneration.
In an interview with IQ Mag, head of events Suzie Parker-Myers said the stadium could hold between 45,000 and 48,000 people for big concerts.
There is the potential for gigs or festivals to be held in the 17,000-capacity fan plaza at the front of the stadium, with the club possessing a licence for 15 such events each year.
The Everton Stadium will host Euro 2028 games and is expected to be a venue for a rugby league Ashes Test match between England and Australia later this year.
The potential is vast, but the club and new owners TFG are hoping others see it and step up to the plate, too.
So what of Goodison, then?
That is another question TFG would like Chong to help answer.
It is four years since the club unveiled plans for a legacy project featuring affordable housing, community centres and wellbeing hubs, but that scheme is yet to get off the ground. TFG's arrival, as well as the imminent stadium move, has accelerated discussions as to what happens there, too.
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One idea being considered, first revealed by The Athletic last month, is a move that would see Everton's Women's team partially take over the Goodison site.
That would serve as a solution to two potential problems. The first is that Everton Women are hamstrung by their facility at Walton Hall Park, north of Liverpool city centre and about a mile from Goodison.
The club do not own the site and have it on a short lease from Liverpool City Council, but the Women's Super League is pushing for clubs to be able to house at least 7,000 spectators. Walton Hall Park holds about 2,200 fans.
TFG is keen to invest in Everton's women's team and improve facilities. The club are looking for solutions and want to remain within the city boundaries. Rivals Liverpool play at rugby league club St Helens, in a town 15 miles to the east, but the focus is on a solution closer to home.
Internal talks continue on whether Goodison could be a new home for Everton Women and no plans have been submitted to the council yet.
The idea would be for a partial deconstruction of the site, which could also be home to a legacy project, community schemes and become a prominent visitor destination, too.
Before that becomes a reality, TFG and Everton will need to settle on it as their preferred outcome for Goodison, engage in a period of consultation with stakeholders including fans, residents and the local authorities, and receive planning permission.
With the old stadium due to close after the final home game of the season against Southampton on May 18, time is of the essence.
This is another crucial period for Everton, one in which they are plotting the future while trying to safeguard the legacy of the past.
Finding achievable solutions that work for all will be tough. If they get it right, the impact on the club and city could be transformational.
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