Everton will say goodbye to Goodison Park this weekend as they play their last Premier League game at the iconic stadium.
The Toffees face Southampton, live on talkSPORT, on Sunday afternoon, and it’s sure to be an emotional one.
Goodison has been the club’s home since 1892, but they will move out and into their new £800million stadium at the end of this season.
The state-of-the-art ground has been built on Bramley-Moore Dock and will have a capacity of over 52,000.
At this weekend’s fixture, Everton will celebrate the end of an era, with huge pre- and post-match celebrations planned to say farewell.
However, it won’t actually be a final goodbye to Goodison…
Will Goodison Park be demolished?
Everton’s iconic stadium was set to be demolished after the club moved out, but things have now changed.
Originally, plans were in place for the stadium to be brought down, with a redevelopment seeing the 3.39-hectare site turned into a mixed-use regeneration scheme.
The regeneration, named The Goodison Legacy project, was launched in 2020 and was designed to bring new resources to the local area.
An article on the official Bramley-Moore Dock website explained the four main parts of the project that the council approved:
- Affordable and Social Housing: Ten new development blocks will provide 173 residential units, including affordable options.
- Community Services: A health and medical centre, residential care facilities, and an education centre will serve the needs of local residents.
- Business and Retail Opportunities: An enterprise building, offices, and community-focused retail spaces will create new job opportunities.
- Green Spaces: A park will provide much-needed recreational areas for families and residents.
However, the demolition will no longer be happening after a major club announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon.
Confirming that Goodison Park will become the new home of Everton Women, the club’s statement read: “Everton Football Club is proud to announce that Goodison Park will become the permanent home of Everton Women, transforming English football’s first purpose-built ground into the most iconic venue in the Barclays Women’s Super League.”
It was then revealed that this late change had been made after discussions with new owners, The Friedkin Group, who decided they wanted to keep ‘football at the heart of the community’.
The statement continued: “The decision follows an in-depth review of the Goodison Legacy project by The Friedkin Group (TFG) since their takeover in December. The Goodison Legacy project was launched in 2020 to define the future of Goodison.
“After an in-depth review, The Friedkin Group decided that football must be kept at the heart of Everton’s community.”
The club added: “When the Men’s Senior Team moves to the new stadium, Everton Women will relocate to Goodison for the start of the 2025/26 season.
“The move addresses Everton Women’s rapid growth and need for a larger, more suitable venue than Walton Hall Park.
“The move to Goodison will include enhancements that will be made over time and will ensure adequate facilities are in place before the start of the season. The relocation will also generate economic opportunities for local businesses through matchday footfall.
“Goodison will remain a central part of Liverpool’s sporting and cultural identity. In addition to hosting Everton Women, it will stage selected Academy matches and expand Everton in the Community’s L4 campus.”
On the decision to keep Goodison Park, Everton CEO Angus Kinnear said: “We know how treasured Goodison is, not only to every Evertonian, but to the game itself, and being able to keep such an iconic stadium at the heart of the legacy project is something that has been incredibly important to us.
“From next season, we are proud to say our women will have an unrivalled permanent home in the WSL – another statement of intent as we look to build the foundations that will help us challenge for trophies.”
Everton vs Southampton this weekend will still mark an emotional end to the men’s team’s time at Goodison.
And talkSPORT will have live commentary of all the action from the final game at Goodison Park.
Adrian Durham will be your host while commentary comes from Nigel Adderley and former Republic of Ireland captain Andy Townsend.
To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
