Goodison Park - The Future

The Future

For more details on this topic, see Everton Kirkby Project.

Since the late 1990s the board of Everton have been seeking a new, alternative stadium to replace Goodison Park. Plans for a possible relocation were first mentioned in 1996, when then chairman Peter Johnson announced his intention to build a new 60,000-seat stadium for the club. At the time, no English league club had a stadium with such a high capacity.

In January 2001, plans were drawn up to move to a 55,000-seat purpose-built arena on the site of the King's Dock in Liverpool. The proposed stadium would have had a retractable roof enabling it to be used for concerts and chairman Bill Kenwright had hoped to have it ready for the 2005–06 season.

However, the plans were abandoned in April 2003 due to the club not being able to raise adequate funds. Following this, plans were made to move to Kirkby, just outside the city, in a joint venture with the supermarket chain Tesco. The scheme was greatly divisive amongst supporters and local authorities, but was rejected in late November 2009 following a decision by Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

The site of Goodison Park was earmarked in 1997 and 2003 for a food store by Tesco who offered £12 million which was valued at £4 million for the site but Liverpool City Council's advisor's advised against allowing planning permission. The club were advised that the planning permission required would not necessarily be granted, and chose not to take the scheme further.

Supporters' groups have fought against the club moving to a new stadium twice. In 2007 a group was established called Keep Everton In Our City (KEIOC) whose aim is to keep Everton FC inside the city of Liverpool. The KEIOC attempted to prevent the club moving to a new stadium in Kirkby, just outside the city limits. The supporters' groups have argued that it is possible to expand Goodison Park, despite the odd shaped landlocked site being surrounded by housing, local authority buildings, and have produced image renders, architectural drawings and costings for a redeveloped Goodison Park. The then Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley stated in November 2009 that a redevelopment of Goodison Park was his favoured option, and that relocation of the homes, infrastructure and businesses in streets adjoining the ground is "not a major hurdle". The current Council leader Joe Anderson stated, "the setback for Everton was an opportunity for both clubs to go back to the drawing board".

Everton's current position regarding the future of Goodison Park is that they are considering all options, including relocation, redevelopment of the current ground, or a groundshare with Liverpool F.C., in a new, purpose-built stadium in Stanley Park, stressing that finance is the main factor affecting decision-making.

In 2010 Everton supporters approached University of Liverpool and Liverpool City Council to initiate a dedicated 'Football Quarter'/'Sports City' zone around Goodison Park, Stanley Park and Anfield. The University and City Council met with the North West Development Agency, Everton and Liverpool F.C. representatives but no further action has been taken.

Liverpool City Council Regeneration and Transport Select Committee meeting on 10.02.2011, proposes to open the eastern section of the Liverpool Outer Loop line using "Liverpool Football Club and Everton Football Club as priorities, as economic enablers of the project". This proposal would place both football clubs on a rapid-transit Merseyrail line circling the city giving high throughput, fast transport access. This would entail Liverpool FC abandoning the relocation plans from their Anfield ground to the planned nearby Stanley Park Stadium.