Interesting move

It won't be full ever again then!

Not that they'll particularly care.

That is a heck of an investment into women's football

Few thoughts on it really:

1) Its got to be a relief for people who have spread ashes there over the years....
2) As has been said its a hell of a statement about Women's football
3) Will they also host the u21s there?
4) Could Liverpool Women also play there?
5) Cynical me thinks it says something about land value in that area that it doesn't make sufficient sense to demolish and build new housing.
6) I would hope new affordable housing will still be built elsewhere, as a fair amount, if not the most profitable, could have fitted on that footprint.

Good idea, if they don't like the new one they can always move back in and sell it to another team/ sport.

Arsenal women averaged about 30k last season, but they're a bit of an outlier. Tickets are obviously cheaper than Premier League but it looks like they do very good business with shirt sales (there's a lot wearing shirts to the games), concessions and the rest. They've got popcorn and candy floss and the like on sale and although the bars aren't as busy as men's football they still do pretty well (and probably will do much better if permission does go ahead for drinking during games).

Everton on the other hand averaged a couple of thousand but does show what they can aspire to.

The initial plan is to have the bottom tier only open and there was some comment about the development plan not being financially viable so wouldn't be 100% surprised to see this reversed at some point in the future.

The stadiums due demolition in 2028 due its poor state. They’ll be a new structure on the same site after that I’d imagine.

Holtyclaret wrote: ↑

Tue May 13, 2025 5:15 pm

The stadiums due demolition in 2028 due its poor state. They’ll be a new structure on the same site after that I’d imagine.

To be honest, it's a dump.

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Tue May 13, 2025 5:16 pm

To be honest, it's a dump.

It certainly is.

There’ll only be about 5000 seats left in the stadium after the weekend anyway if what people are saying about taking their seat home is true.

Chelsea women play at Kingsmeadow (AFC Wimbledon's old ground) which has a capacity of 4850.

I totally think this is being done to take some heat off the weekend game, the last at Goodison, and the potential chaos with people attempting to take "souvenirs". It has the potential to be a mess.

Expect it to change in 6-12 months. The upkeep on 2 stadiums is not viable at all!

They will probably find it easier to find English women wanting to go and watch women’s football than they would to find English women who want to work in a Care Home (part of the original proposal).

It's a great move if you wanted to sell your women's team to another part of your owners group, to get around any FFP worries. Would increase value 10fold.

Haven't Chelsea just done this?

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑

Tue May 13, 2025 7:19 pm

It's a great move if you wanted to sell your women's team to another part of your owners group, to get around any FFP worries. Would increase value 10fold.

Haven't Chelsea just done this?

God forbid that Everton would indulge in such practice.

Spijed wrote: ↑

Tue May 13, 2025 5:38 pm

Chelsea women play at Kingsmeadow (AFC Wimbledon's old ground) which has a capacity of 4850.

It was also Kingstonian's old ground before that. Not sure what happened but they got booted out by Chelsea and are currently homeless in the lower reaches of non-league football.

Derby planned to keep the baseball ground for their reserves. Financial reality will always trump nostalgia once it kicks in.

It'll be coming down quick enough once the maintenance bills mount up but nice it'll get a year or two extra for the women.

Maybe they will just make is smaller and more manageable ?

Demolish 3 sides then build smaller stands … then demolish the last old stand and build a smaller stands

Women’s Football will eventually take off

The quality will get better and better

Just like the Men’s game continues to do

My lad has played at Walton Hall Park a couple of times, where the Everton women currently play.
They have a very small stadium (not dissimilar to Padiham FC), but a beautiful pitch. (The district team didn't get to play on it sadly.)
Goodison is a massive step up, great for the women.

Chelsea "sold" chelsea ladies for 100 million which makes chelsea women's team more valuable than some premier league teams!!!

It also gives them a decent amount of extra hospitality capacity that can then be bussed to the ground 30 mins before KO.

They aren't daft are they?

Maintaining an old stadium is very very expensive. Don't see the logic in this at all - they'd be better in the new stadium. I think it might be bullshit to prevent the stadium getting ripped apart at the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a re-assessment over the summer or they quickly find some reason it can't actually happen.

Saw a documentary on YouTube the other week about teams using stadiums for music events etc and generating 10s of millions in revenue, maybe they think you can make money from that too. Even if Goodison isn’t as glamorous as the big shiny new stadium it could still be very useful in that regard

Hosting a few England women’s games there too would get them plenty of income

Would it make sense for us to have a 2nd stadium? Use it for women's and development / U21 games. Could also share it with a local semi-professional club to share the cost. As far as I can make out the women play all over the place - Leyland, Nelson, Darwen. Once at Turf Moor I think?

A capacity of 1000 would surely be enough for starters.

I'd like to think it could be at Gawthorpe but I'm not sure there's the capacity for parking. I think we also own land just off M65, but I'm not sure about this

SirBob wrote: ↑

Fri May 16, 2025 6:20 am

Saw a documentary on YouTube the other week about teams using stadiums for music events etc and generating 10s of millions in revenue, maybe they think you can make money from that too. Even if Goodison isn’t as glamorous as the big shiny new stadium it could still be very useful in that regard

Hosting a few England women’s games there too would get them plenty of income

It’d never get permission for music events, it’s surrounded by houses, the facilities are crap and the parking is awful. The residents would be up in arms.

martin_p wrote: ↑

Tue May 13, 2025 5:32 pm

There’ll only be about 5000 seats left in the stadium after the weekend anyway if what people are saying about taking their seat home is true.

Wonder if the away fans take theirs home. They could set them near a hedge or garden wall and peek over them now and again to see what's going on.

End of era, no more local scrotes offering to mind your car in exchange for cash and not wrecking it why you are on the match. Another quaint Scouse custom.

ŽižkovClaret wrote: ↑

Wed May 14, 2025 9:45 am

It also gives them a decent amount of extra hospitality capacity that can then be bussed to the ground 30 mins before KO.

They aren't daft are they?

There really isn't much hospitality at Goodison at all. Half of what they have is in a temporary marquee.

The whole point of moving out to this new ground is so they can accommodate corporate hospitality and do it properly. I undertand your thinking here but I'd be amazed if this happened on a regular basis or at all tbh.

New ground, new name. I do wonder if it's something our board will look at as we need the money

What a shame. Another iconic, old, traditional stadium bites the dust in favour of a modern stadium where every square foot will be expected to create profit.
Those unbelievable games over the years count for nothing. Portugal v North Korea, Hungary v Brasil, that amazing team of Dixie Dean et al. That brilliant Everton team of the 80s that was denied a crack at the European Cup. Merseyside derbys, great atmosphere and history leaking from every inch of the ground.
Modern football fans really just don't understand what its all about.

Goalkeeper wrote: ↑

Fri May 16, 2025 8:08 pm

What a shame. Another iconic, old, traditional stadium bites the dust in favour of a modern stadium where every square foot will be expected to create profit.
Those unbelievable games over the years count for nothing. Portugal v North Korea, Hungary v Brasil, that amazing team of Dixie Dean et al. That brilliant Everton team of the 80s that was denied a crack at the European Cup. Merseyside derbys, great atmosphere and history leaking from every inch of the ground.
Modern football fans really just don't understand what its all about.

It’s about moving the club forward rather than looking back. Those moments you mention are like 45-70 years ago.

Dyched wrote: ↑

Fri May 16, 2025 8:19 pm

It’s about moving the club forward rather than looking back. Those moments you mention are like 45-70 years ago.

That's exactly what I mean. Modernity over tradition. However, football has to move forward, but it's not necessarily a good thing to become a commercial beast rather than an institution, which no new stadium will ever become.

Woodleyclaret wrote: ↑

Fri May 16, 2025 4:21 pm

End of era, no more local scrotes offering to mind your car in exchange for cash and not wrecking it why you are on the match. Another quaint Scouse custom.

Hardly a Scouse custom - definitely also happened in Manchester, Sheffield & Birmingham.

Goalkeeper wrote: ↑

Fri May 16, 2025 8:08 pm

What a shame. Another iconic, old, traditional stadium bites the dust in favour of a modern stadium where every square foot will be expected to create profit.
Those unbelievable games over the years count for nothing. Portugal v North Korea, Hungary v Brasil, that amazing team of Dixie Dean et al. That brilliant Everton team of the 80s that was denied a crack at the European Cup. Merseyside derbys, great atmosphere and history leaking from every inch of the ground.
Modern football fans really just don't understand what its all about.

It is a shame but there was precious little they could do with Goodison because of where it is situated with terraced houses on three sides.

However much tradition, it was no longer really fit for purpose. Every time I’ve been in recent years I’ve said I’ll miss it when it’s gone but at the same time main about the state of the place and the awful view.

I do agree with you though. If you think Burnley, I’d hate us to ever move from the Turf.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sat May 17, 2025 4:09 pm

Hardly a Scouse custom - definitely also happened in Manchester, Sheffield & Birmingham.

Many years ago Tony, a few kids asked for a few quid to mind our car whilst parking up on Fulledge !

Aclaret wrote: ↑

Sat May 17, 2025 4:15 pm

Many years ago Tony, a few kids asked for a few quid to mind our car whilst parking up on Fulledge !

I wasnt aware it had happened at Burnley but did in a lot of places.

Goalkeeper wrote: ↑

Fri May 16, 2025 9:25 pm

That's exactly what I mean. Modernity over tradition. However, football has to move forward, but it's not necessarily a good thing to become a commercial beast rather than an institution, which no new stadium will ever become.

We all grow older. How many now remember the maximum wage? In a few years there won't be many who remember the first British club to win European Cup. Thinking about it, European Cup went a few years ago and the European Championship is moved on to version 2.0. If things aren't moving forward they are overtaken by other things that are, new ideas, ways of doing things better. Heavy caseys replaced by modern footballs that don't soak up every drop of rain. Mud baths of football pitches replaced by modern "grass and tech" pitches. They make the game better. Ok, yes, "jumpers for goal posts" - those were the days.