The football rivalry in the Beatles' city is not just played out on the pitch. Currently, both stadiums belonging to the two biggest local teams are undergoing renovation or being erected. Being built from scratch is The Toffees' future venue, which Evertonians can already be proud of.

More than a year of work on Everton Stadium is behind us. There have been many, many changes to the construction site and it is by no means over. However, fans should be pleased with the progress of the work - the club clearly has no intention of letting its supporters down. Plans for the construction of Everton Stadium, to replace the run-down Goodison Park, emerged as early as the end of the last century. The matter gained momentum in 2017, when the Bramley-Moore Dock was chosen as the location for the new arena.

There were a number of breakthrough moments during 2022, with the stadium quickly rising from the site of the newly filled dock, starting with the installation of the first above-ground concrete component. It should be recalled that the decision to build the venue was one of the main reasons for the removal of the group of six sites comprising the foundation of the 'maritime trading city', Liverpool, from the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021. According to the organisation, recent major developments have done irreparable damage to the historic image of the waterfront.

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The 2,500 concrete piles on which the stadium rests were secured before the first column of the steel structure was installed in the north-western core in March. Each of the piles was drilled 20 metres deep into the compacted sand and surrounding quays. The June arrival of giant tower cranes accelerated construction and within a month all four sides of the 52,888-seat stadium were under construction.

August marked the first anniversary of the start of the project at Bramley-Moore Dock. Work on the four concrete cores had been completed and the first of more than 2,000 custom terraces had been installed. In November, the first brick façade panels to cover the stadium in the north-west core were fitted, while operations to raise the giant roof trusses began, culminating in the completion of the first such full-scale structure at the end of December. 

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Colin Chong, the stadium's chief development officer, appeared on a club podcast where, in the context of recent progress, he said: We can confidently talk about significant moments and milestones. Fans really need to go to Boundary Bridge, stand there and look at what the stadium looks like now, from the hill. The coming year will bring another metamorphosis to the site, as work will begin on the internal fit-out of the four stands. 

Chong continues, We have set ourselves a Christmas target for any significant changes and we are really well advanced with the job. As we fill the lower levels of the stands, once the heavy lifting is complete, in its own way the intimate but visually awe-inspiring nature of the bowl will begin to reflect the wishes of Everton fans. Indeed, 60,000 fans commented on the club's proposals three years ago and the board took the feedback on board and incorporated it into the design.

Not all fan requests are feasible, however. Some of them - for example the number of seats per row and how compact they are - are dictated by modern building standards. Meanwhile, fans would prefer the seats to be spaced, which would give them more room. They also want the new facility to remind them of Goodison Park and the atmosphere there. The club ensures that as many of the fans' suggestions as possible have been discussed with building control, who have been receptive to their requirements. Currently, around 40% of the entire project is completed.

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