Goodison Park, the home of Everton Football Club for more than 130 years, is set to close in the summer of 2025. The historic ground was built in 1892 following a disagreement with the owner of Anfield – the ground in which Everton had started their professional career, and where local rivals Liverpool now play.
Goodison Park was chosen to host the FA Cup final in 1894 and 1910, with five 1966 World Cup matches also held there. The stadium was developed in 1994, giving it a capacity of 39,572. Whilst at Goodison Park, Everton won nine First Division titles, the most recent of which came in the 1986/87 season.
This season is Everton’s last campaign at the ground, with the recent 2-2 draw with rivals Liverpool a fittingly raucous last Merseyside derby at the ground. Now, 133 years since its construction, Everton are waving goodbye to the stadium as they move to a new site at Bramley-Moore Dock.
What is happening to Goodison Park
Following a match against Southampton on 18 May 2025 the stadium, affectionately known as The Grand Old Lady, will no longer be used by Everton, with a Farewell to Goodison Festival being planned by the club.
A three-day festival is set to be held, including live music and player appearances, if approval from Liverpool Council is approved. Everton last gained permission to host a non-football event in 2016 when boxer, and Everton fan, Tony Bellew won the WBC cruiser-weight title.
Why is Goodison Park closing?
Everton’s move away from Goodison Park has been discussed for over 20 years, with a 1996 plan to move to a new site abandoned because of insufficient funding. A further project failed in 2006 when the club allowed fans to vote on whether a move should occur. Supporters were in favour of this but the proposal was rejected by the Government.
In 2017, Everton chairman Bill Kenwright confirmed that Bramley-Moore Dock was the preferred site for a new stadium, with the plan confirmed later that year. Expanding the capacity of the club’s home and increasing the financial value the stadium offers to Everton are the main reasons suggested as to why the club have decided to move.
What will happen to Goodison Park:
At the end of the 2024/25 Premier League season the stadium is set to be demolished with a mixed-use housing scheme to be built in its place, as part of the Goodison Park Legacy project.
This plan, which will create 173 homes and over 50,000 sq ft of offices, was agreed in February 2021, following the approval of Everton’s new stadium. The £82 million project will also include a care home, green spaces and 100,000 sq ft of community spaces.
How big is Everton’s new stadium?
Everton’s new home, situated at Bramley-Moore Dock in Vauxhall, Liverpool, is set to be the seventh-biggest stadium in the Premier League, with a capacity of 52,888. This would be larger than St James’ Park, with only Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham, Tottenham and Manchester United having larger grounds. Additionally, there will be parts of the stadium with safe-standing seats.
The club has also confirmed that the ground is “future-proofed”, meaning the club can increase its capacity should the government change the legislation surrounding the ratio of one person standing to one seat. In total, the project will give Everton more than 13,000 extra seats when compared to Goodison Park.
How much did Everton’s new stadium cost to build?
The initial cost of moving away from Goodison Park was estimated to be around £500 million, but it is now believed to have cost closer to £800 million, with the club enlisting the help of international banks, such as JP Morgan, to finance the move.
The true extent of the stadium’s cost was revealed in documents from Everton’s appeal to their 10-point deduction in the 2023/24 season, due to a breach of the Profit and Sustainability Rules.
When will Everton be moving to the new stadium?
With building all but complete, Everton look set to move into the new stadium for the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season. Test events are likely to take place, but the first competitive fixture will be in August 2025.
The stadium has also been chosen as one of six English venues to host the 2028 European Championships, alongside Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park and Villa Park. Alongside the Euros, Everton’s new stadium may also be used for the first Rugby League ashes in more than 20 years.
What will Everton’s new stadium be called?
The full name of the stadium is yet to be confirmed with it being referred to as both Everton Stadium and more commonly, Bramley Moore, due to the dock in which the ground is located. It had been reported that Everton had agreed to a £30 million naming rights option with the former Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov.
However, the club now state that they are “working to secure a naming rights partner”. Everton’s new owners, The Friedkin Group, will focus on gaining naming rights and also believe there is financial potential in selling advertising space across the venue.
