England: Everton need Premier League survival if they want to reap benefits from new stadium
source: StadiumDB.com; author: Paulina Skóra
History is being made at the end of this current season as Everton will be moving from Goodison Park and heading into a brand new stadium which is currently being built on Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool.
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New stadium at a crucial time for Everton
The new stadium will have a capacity of 52,888 and will be hoping not just to bring in bigger crowds but also a lot more revenue. Goodison Park has been one of the most historic grounds in English football and has been Everton’s home since 1892. It has hosted more top-flight matches than any ground in England. With the pitch being very close to the ground, opposition sides fear travelling to Goodison Park as they face a team that would have the 12th man
backing them on many occasions.
Arguably, moving to a new stadium has come at both the best and the worst time. Everton have been flirting with relegation for a few years now. Their last 3 seasons have seen them finish 15th or below. Last season was a bit different due to their points deduction, but it has created a lot of negative tension around the club which hasn’t been helped by Everton’s poor start to the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Challenges and opportunities for Everton in the 2024/25 season
So far, they have lost four Premier League games and drawn one, and they have also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Southampton. They have held the lead, sometimes a two-goal lead, in three of their matches so far. Due to this, bookmakers currently see them as one of the favourites to go down, with their Premier League relegation odds currently 13/8. This only puts them in front of Southampton, who are 2/5 to go down, Ipswich, who are Evens to be relegated and Leicester City, who currently are 8/13 for the drop.
Everton fans will not be happy that they are just above the newly promoted sides, but there have been some issues out of their control. Key players like Jarrad Branthwaite have been injured, whilst they have had takeover issues looming over their heads until recently. Hopefully, Dan Friedkin agreeing to take over The Toffees will be the start of happier times on Merseyside.
Everton’s new stadium would no doubt sell out every week if the club stayed in the division and would also be able to make more on a matchday due to an increased capacity of 12,000 compared to Goodison Park. With possible new owners, fans will believe the timing of the new stadium is ideal off the pitch. However, they can only reap the benefits of the new stadium if they stay in the division as no doubt it will be harder to sell out the stadium if they are relegated from the Premier League.
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