Everton stadium move hits holdup
Reports today in the press are indicating Everton will have to wait another year before moving to the club’s new proposed stadium on the Liverpool waterfront.
The Daily Telegraph are reporting that Everton will not be able to start playing at the Bramley Moore dock site until at least the 2023-24 season.
This is because the club cannot submit a planning application for another 12 months so setting back the date at which Everton can move into the stadium.
All this is frankly not unexpected given the history of stadium moves.
Tottenham are still waiting to move into their new ground even though it is literally next to the old White Hart Lane and was supposedly on track for them to start playing there at the start of this season.
They are still playing games at Wembley and there is no clear indication when they will be able to take up residence in the new stadium.
So does any of this matter?
In one sense it doesn’t really matter, as I’ve just explained above, this type of holdup seems to be almost par-for-the-course.
But there is always a fear that delays become constant and eventually make the whole move less and less likely. This is particularly true for Everton’s move because it is dependent on financial support from the council.
Although Liverpool City Council have been very supportive of the whole project because it is part of a wide regeneration effort, council leaders and their policies can change.
At the moment the Mayor Joe Anderson is very much on side with the proposals, although the fact he is an Evertonian is sometimes seen as one of the reasons for his support!
So, according to the Telegraph the Blues are apparently seeking private sector finance for the whole thing to avoid the move being compromised by any such political or policy changes.
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A new stadium does seem to be very important for Everton’s future. For the club to progress the move away from Goodison Park is fundamental. The grand old lady has been the Blues home since 1892 and it shows!
To sustain any improved competitiveness on the pitch, (something we hope we are beginning to see), Everton need to be playing in a state-of-the-art ground as soon as possible.
It will surely be an important part of the club’s longer-term domestic and global marketing plans too.
So we can only wait and see whether there will be any further delays in this move.