Everton are mulling over the idea of retaining Goodison Park as a football stadium by relocating their women’s team to the iconic venue. The club’s new American owners, The Friedkin Group, have initiated a feasibility study to explore this possibility.
The men’s senior team is poised to bid farewell to the Grand Old Lady at the end of this season, making a move to their new 52,888-capacity home at Bramley Moore Dock. Previously, Everton had envisioned a legacy project for Goodison Park that encompassed a mixed-use scheme, including housing, offices, and community facilities.
This could still be incorporated into any plan to maintain Goodison Park as a football stadium. The club first moved into the ground in 1892. It is understood that numerous options remain on the table. Everton’s executive chairman Marc Watts addressed staff on Tuesday, affirming the owners’ commitment to securing the best home for the women’s side, reports the Mirror.
Brian Sorensen’s team currently ply their trade at nearby Walton Hall Park. However, it appears that this venue may not meet future WSL requirements due to its size, necessitating a new home unless the current site can be developed.
Currently sitting 8th in the WSL after 18 games, Everton women are looking to expand further in the coming years. While they could potentially play some larger matches at the new stadium, the club is keen to establish a permanent home for the women’s team to facilitate their growth.
David Moyes has openly expressed his eagerness to shake off his dismal track record at Anfield. The Everton manager, who has never clinched a win in the manager’s role at Liverpool’s ground, spoke candidly about wanting to break his streak: “Yeah. I don’t want it, I want to win and I want to make sure I get rid of it if I can.”
He added, “Am I sick of it? I would be lying if I said I look forward to going to it all the time because it has been such a hard place to get results. It’s nothing to do with the surrounds, nothing to do with the pitch, nothing to do with anything else, it is to do with them always producing good teams.”
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Reflecting on the fierce rivalry between the two clubs, Moyes remarked: “I think every team in the Premier League, when they go to Anfield, has a game on their hands. We might be further away from Liverpool than we have ever been at the moment.”
He also noted how the competitiveness has waned since his last tenure: “By the time I had left here maybe 10 years ago we were much closer to Liverpool, we were competitive, competing around the same areas of the league at the time. I think at the moment it is the biggest gulf between the two clubs.”
Underlining the significance of a victory against Liverpool, Moyes declared: “It would be huge for us as a club to get that because it is not something the club have done particularly often.”
