It is the end of an era for Everton Football Club as they are preparing for the next chapter in their history with a move away from their beloved Goodison Park, which has been the home of the Toffees since 1892. With the move bringing in change off the pitch, it will be hoping to bring change on the pitch. However, some fans are concerned that they are going to be further pushed away from the game they love due to finances.
So, how do prices at Goodison compare with those at the new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium?
Modern Everton fans have never known anything other than Goodison Park, but the Toffees actually played at rival club Liverpool’s Anfield for many years; from 1884, they were at home at Anfield. In fact, Everton were one of the founding members and league winners, the 1890-91 season, whilst playing at their rivals’ stadium.
Following rental pricing issues with Anfield, Liberal Party politician and Everton board member George Mahon proposed that the club move away from Anfield to have its own brand new stadium
It was the first major stadium to be built in England, and in 1892, it shocked people that football needed such a stadium, with the stadium capacity 25% larger than that of its previous home, Anfield, just 983 meters away the opposite side of Stanley Park.
With Goodison dominating the history of the club, the famous stadium has seen the most top-flight games, eight First Division titles, famous European wins such as the 1984-85 season win against Bayern Munich in the semi final and it has hosted a World Cup semi-final between West Germany and the Soviet Union.
Goodison has experienced a tough history after it was bombed in 1940 during the Second World War and in the wake of the Hillsborough Disaster, the Taylor Report in 1990 stated that there would be no standing spectators at games, this meant that three out of the four sides at Goodison Park had to be updated accordingly.
Yet through all this, Goodison Park has been considered as one of the best stadiums for atmosphere in the country with a feel of a traditional football stadium and one steeped in history for example the stadium was the first stadium to host a floodlight match in 1957 and was the first club in the UK to have undersoil heating just one year later.
However, over recent years, with football changing and adapting, Goodison Park has the feel of being left behind, and after 132 years, it will no longer host games for the Everton Men’s side.
Despite conversations regarding its future, it seemed likely that Goodison Park would be no more. Yet, in a late decision, Goodison Park will be spared the bulldozer and demolition as the club decided that Everton Women’s side will be the new residents of the famous ground.
It is a move that has not only pleased Everton supporters but fans around the country as Goodison Park is an institution with a rich history since the founding of the Football League.
Once again, even in its old age, Goodison Park is still setting records as it will now be the largest capacity stadium to be home for a Women’s side at 39,414.
With the new stadium cost a little more than how much Goodison Park cost to build, £30,000 (just over £3 million in today’s money), the £750 million behemoth is set to be one of the best stadiums in the country and already planned to host games at the 2028 European Championships.
With a bigger capacity, 52,888, more fans will be able to enjoy a matchday experience with one of the oldest clubs in the country. It is a move that could help Everton establish themselves in the Premier League, challenging for Europe once again, and not battling with relegation.
However, it will come at a cost to the fans. Building a new stadium costs money, and that money has to be recuperated in some way.
In November last year, the club already announced that season tickets would be starting from £640 for an adult, which works out at £33.68 a game, yet for this current season, the cheapest adult season ticket was available for £555, which works out at £29.21 a game. An increase of £4.47 may not seem like a lot, but it could be the sign of things to come for loyal season ticket holders.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the best boxes available for the season will set a fan back £200,000 for the season, which works out at staggering £10,526.32 per game. You must be one big Toffee if you purchase one of the boxes!
However, Everton should be credited for keeping prices reasonably low for the match-going fan and especially for families, as they uphold their community spirit even in their new stadium.
Matchday prices for an Everton game have yet to be revealed for a single ticket. For live deals, check Ticket-Compare.com. But currently the average price of an Everton home ticket is between £58 to £95. Everton do look after their season ticket holders, but with a larger capacity, the average match goer may feel the benefit with more tickets available.
