Everton F.C. smooth ride plans for fans

Article posted by Coliseum, June 10^th, 2024

Image: Everton FC

The Premier League club Everton F.C. and the Sefton Council have agreed to work together with a view to further enhancing the transport offer from the borough ahead of the club’s new stadium opening at the Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool, England (UK).

‘evertonfc.com’ stated that the two organizations will work in unison with the ultimate goal of promoting the effective arrival and dispersal of supporters to and from Sefton.

The Everton Football Club is a professional association football club based in Liverpool, England (UK). The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

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The Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England (UK), two miles North of the City Centre. It has been the home of the Premier League club Everton F.C. since 1892 and has an all-seated capacity of 39,414. The Goodison Park has hosted more top-flight games than any other stadium in England.

The 52,888-capacity Everton Stadium is a football stadium under construction on Bramley-Moore Dock in Vauxhall, Liverpool, England (UK) that will become the home ground for Everton F.C. ahead of the 2025-2026 seasons replacing the Goodison Park.

The Sefton Council is the governing body for the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in the ceremonial county of Merseyside, in North West England (UK). The Council was under no overall control from the 1980s until 2012 when the Labour Party took control. It is a constituent Council of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (the combined authority of the Liverpool City Region in England).

‘evertonfc.com’ further stated that the collaboration will focus on public transportation links, active travel opportunities, parking, leisure opportunities utilizing the new stadium and around the Bootle Town Centre, as well as respective events programs that might attract the fans before and after the matches at the spectacular waterfront stadium, which is set to open in the Summer of 2025.

Commented Councilor Marion Atkinson, Leader of the Sefton Council, “This is an exciting time for the Bootle Town Centre and with the Everton Stadium little more than a goal kick away, it makes absolute sense for the Council and the Everton F.C. to work together to make sure the fans have a range of choices in how they arrive and depart from the new stadium.”

With the Bootle Strand Bus Station and the town centre offering park and ride opportunities for the supporters, the Sefton Council will also point to investment plans for the nearby Strand Shopping Centre and the development of Salt & Tar – a 3,000-capacity event space featuring street food, bars and live entertainment – as a potential pre- and post-match venue close to the transport hub.

Given the relatively close proximity, both the parties are committed to working to improve transportation to and from the stadium, with many supporters traveling through the borough to arrive at the stadium. This is likely to include a park and ride scheme, involving the shuttle buses to and from the Bootle Strand and using public and private car parks in the borough.

The partnership will also investigate the active travel opportunities, while promoting better information around the well-served local train network that caters for the Southport to Liverpool and Ormskirk to Liverpool lines – both of which stop at the Sandhills Station, close to the Everton Stadium.

Asserted Alix Waldron, Director of Stadium Development at Everton, “By working with the Sefton Council we can continue to strategically review all of the different opportunities and impacts our new stadium will have to support the borough and its residents. We have been very open about how the Everton Stadium can offer ‘once in a generation’ opportunities and we have seen this already with a clear boost to the local economy, the direct and indirect number of jobs being created and the tourism boost our new home will give to our City region. This agreement will look at how we can work jointly to not only harness the socio-economic opportunities for Sefton but also facilitate and manage real-world logistics like the supporters traveling through the borough and liaising on potentially competing events in the same area.”

Both the parties have committed to joint engagement and management of public messaging relating to transportation arrangements before, during and after any matches and large-scale events.

Added Councilor Atkinson, “It’s incumbent on us all to make sure the right information is available for the fans to make informed choices about their travel arrangements and matchday choices. We have been supportive of Everton throughout the planning and development phases of the stadium. We are delighted to continue that relationship through the promotion and alignment of our respective investments, and through a commitment to providing fans with the best and most up-to-date travel information and leisure opportunities.”

Noted Councilor Paulette Lappin (Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills), “I’m very pleased to see the progress of Everton’s stadium development at the Bramley-Moore Dock, which will bring a significant boost to the City Region economy, to Sefton and in particular to Bootle. The benefits of a near 53,000-capacity stadium on our doorstep could be huge and, while the challenges need to be managed, I’m delighted for the Council and the club to be committing to work together proactively. I hope we can ensure that Bootle and South Sefton is considered when providing home and away fans with travel information and are clear on the alternative opportunities that the Bootle Town Centre can offer, pre- and post-match, which will help alleviate pressures at the stadium site and in the City Centre. I’m really looking forward to cementing this relationship, as it’s about so much more than transport links, widening into the local community and the economy.”

The agreement will also explore wider partnership opportunities, including the joint promotion and marketing of the respective events, commercial placemaking proposals that offer mutual benefit to the club and the local authority and the Sefton Council’s increased engagement with the club’s award-winning charity, Everton in the Community.

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