Everton celebrate ‘momentous day’ as work on their £500m, 53,000-seater new stadium at Bramley-Moore dock begins… with plan to leave Goodison Park and have new home ready in time for the 2024-25 season
- Work has begun on Everton’s 53,000-seater Bramley-Moore dock stadium
- Chairman Bill Kenwright was present for the project commencement ceremony
- They were given national and local government permission earlier this year
- Everton have been based at Goodison Park since its construction back in 1892
- It is hoped the new stadium will be finished in time for the 2024-25 campaign
Everton held a commencement ceremony to mark the start of work beginning on their new £500million stadium.
The club were given the all clear to build the stadium, which will be housed on the Bramley-Moore dock site, by the Government and Liverpool City Council earlier this year.
An Everton-branded excavator was used to mark the ‘momentous day’ of work commencing and now the plan is to have the waterfront home ready ahead of the 2024-25 season.
‘This is a momentous day. One that we have all been waiting for,’ chairman Bill Kenwright said.
Work has finally commenced on Everton’s new £500million stadium as a ceremony was held
Everton are looking to build a 53,000-seater stadium on the Bramley-Moore dock site
‘To know that Evertonians and the people of this great city are together with us on this journey is a special feeling.
‘Now that the work has commenced we can all watch our magnificent home as it comes to life.
Everton’s chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale and Players’ Life President Graeme Sharp also attended the ceremony to mark the start of a new era for the club.
The first phase of construction involves preparing the dock for the build, including repair and preservation of the Grade II listed dock wall and demolition of non-listed structures.
Once that is completed, contractors Laing O’Rourke will begin the process of infilling the dock.
A commencement ceremony to mark the first breaking of ground is traditional in development projects such as this and forms part of the required enabling works to the eastern quayside, which will eventually become home to the Fan Plaza – an area that could welcome as many as 9,000 fans on matchdays.
Other key works in this early phase will see Everton look to stabilise the listed hydraulic tower and the demolition of existing non-listed structures. Pipework is also being laid.
It is anticipated the project will create close to 12,000 jobs.
A new website is to be launched to allow fans to track the construction process of the ground
The club say the new site will help regenerate the semi-derelict area of the city’s docks
The stadium is expected to cost around £500m and will have a capacity of 52,888 – nearly 13,000 more than Goodison Park, their home since its construction in 1892.
In a bid to keep fans up to date on the stadium development now construction is underway, a new website is due to be launched in the coming weeks.
The site will offer fans the latest news and information about progress on the Bramley-Moore Dock site as well as provide the option to view activity on-site through an installed webcam.
Barrett-Baxendale added: ‘Breaking ground is a significant milestone for this project, for our football club and our city region.
‘It is a tangible symbol of Everton’s future and a clear signal of our club’s ambitions.’
The site is based on the derelict area of the the city’s northern docklands at Bramley-Moore
Everton’s current home, Goodison Park, is in a residential area and is difficult to regenerate