When walking towards the new Everton stadium at the dock from Bramley-Moore, you met two contrasting views. On your right, the echoes of the past with industrial buildings that have resolved for centuries; On your left, a glance in the future.
This stadium looks like something of a science fiction film, a giant structure that tracks the horizon line wherever you are in the city when you grow the neck towards the banks of Mersey.
Mail Sport sat backwards of the southern stand of the stadium with 52,888 seats – surprisingly not too cold in the middle of the worries of the river wind could wreak havoc – for the first test event of several planned, with 10 000 bettors in the house for an Everton Friendly match under the age of 18.
The match itself was insignificant, although the name of the Wigan U18 midfielder Harrison Rimmer, who scored the first goal here, will make a completely quiz answer for Evertonians in the years to come. This event was an opportunity to show the fruits of years of work.
Everton first launched the idea of moving houses in the mid -90s and, after several unsuccessful attempts, finally obtained the green light for this site – a project of 800 million pounds sterling – and first put A spade in the ground in the summer of 2021.
The first step was to fill the platform which involved a dredge causing minutely 130tin to 20 miles in the Irish Sea during a 24-7 operation. It collected 480,000 cubic meters of sand in the sea bed and fluidized it to pump it in the Quai de Bramley-Moore filled with water.
Everton’s ultramodern stadium finally opened its doors for the first time in a test event
The Toffees welcomed 10,000 supporters to experience the characteristics of the new house of their team
The match, played between the under-18s of Everton and the counterparts of Wigan Athletic, ended with a 2-1 defeat for the Toffees, with Ray Robert, 16, scoring the club’s only goal
During its construction, the stadium was recognized as the largest development in the private sector with the country’s unique site. When the construction started, only the high speed now at high debate was greater.
During this walk from the Titanic hotel nearby at the stadium, we pass a listed hydraulic tower of Grade II and a machine room, which was built in 1883 and played an essential role in life here at the time . The tower is restored and is in the park of fans of 17,000 inhabitants.
Besides this is a sanctuary of Michael Jones, a 26 -year -old Evertonian who died in an accident when he worked here as a member of the construction staff.
We also pass the Bramley-Moore Hotel Pub, whose owner struck the jackpot. The Boozer has stayed there since 1848. Despite the cold day of February, hundreds of fans stood outside, have flowed pints and sang, I suppose that is why they call it the blues.
With this ad on the bettors of the road did not usually descend unless you come here, it may be their busiest day, because this place was a fully operational platform. Many other companies feel a business opportunity near the soil.
There could be money in these flage spaces to park your car, with extremely limited options nearby.
The roads around the surroundings of the quay were closed at 5 p.m., which means that a gentleman elderly on X said that he had to arrive at 4:30 p.m., then stand in the cold, just to get closer.
It was perhaps the only negative to present itself from this first official event, apart from the scoring – a defeat – and the field which was cut several times, although it was removed and withdrawn before the first match official here in summer.
David Moyes’ team will leave Goodison Park at the end of this season to move into their brand new house, marking 132 years since their very first match on the emblematic and historic field
The 800 million pounds Sterling project will be able to accommodate up to 52,888 fans of the 2025-26 season
Hospital seats were not operational in this match, but 36 sofa -type seats options – called “Lodges”, as in cinemas with sections of cuts – which were visible. Mail Sport obtained a sample of some of the fantasy food options, which the culinary chef said that he wanted to be “instagrammable”.
These included chicken offers with salt and pepper, a chic socket on a roll of sausage and a “donut” with bright blue caramel. It was not cheap, the mind, with a pack of chips costing £ 1.95. No alcohol was sold during this test event.
The legend of Everton Peter Reid, the famous boxer Tony Bellew and the representatives of the owners, the Friedkin group was at home for the famous evening.
Unfortunately for fans of Everton, the first scorer here, the Liverpool fan, Rimmer, made a gesture “ Six ” at the southern stand – a nod to the number of victories of the European Cup for the Red half of the Merseyside – when he scored the first goal. Things can only improve!
