Do You Want A New Stadium?

[Andy]

i for one am all for it, itll give us some good publicity if it goes all well, goodisons dilapidating before our very eyes, the atmospheres going way downhill and maybe with a bit of luck, having a new stadium might interest a few potential investers/buyers

[Guest fozzie]

We need one,but cant afford one...

[Louis]

I do Andy. Ive tried to find a decent debate about the stadium on bluekipper and toffeeweb but after about three posts they seem to ramble on about the Tescos Value Stadium etc.

 

I'll put this really simple what I would like to see in a new stadium.

 

An original feature - something that stands out and is instantly recognisable and when you see it you think "Everton". We currently have the church tucked away in the corner, we can't take that with us so we need something else to add character.

 

My suggestion is for a large Prince Rupert's tower to be placed on one of the corners outside of the ground. It could be the players entrance. I've seen a picture of exactly what I have in mind if i find it I will edit this post and put it in.

 

Another is that I think that the stands should be steep so that we are practially on top of the pitch. An Everton match just wouldn't be the same if the fans are spread out backwards, the currently-wounded atmosphere will be killed for good.

 

See HSV's stadium:

 

 

 

Im not alone when I say this - I don't want a breeze block stadium similar to the Riverside and many smaller teams stadiums (Derby, Southampton and Bolton spring to mind).

 

The problem the board face is that we want the best (Nil Satis Nisi Optimum) and they can not provide it at this time in my opinion. I think the time to move is right but we can't afford it. I can't see Tesco stumping up the kind of cash that could buy us the type of stadium we would like/deserve.

 

I have no problem with moving the stadium moving to Kirkby. I made an image last night on Google Earth showing the distances between the stadiums, it's three and a half miles down the road.

 

 

I'm from the Wirral - maybe this has affected my judgement but I couldn't care less that the stadium will not be in the Liverpool City Council's boundarys. The only people who do care should be LCC themselves.

 

There is a rumour that LCC knocked back our advances to build onto stanley park, that is technically true but what Peter Johnson proposed was building a new stadium where the lake currently is. But as far as I know LCC have not done anything to deter EFC away from their boundaries what has happened is that Knowsley have offered the club £50,000,000 to move said three and a half miles up the road. It's not to be sniffed at and it must be given full consideration whether that means moving away from a stadium we have played in since 1892 or not. I am 100% certain when I say if Liverpool offered the same amount for redeveloping Goodison the club would bite their hand off (and swallow it whole).

 

I think that the club moving away may affect the price of council tax in the Liverpool area as they will not have as much coming in, I could be wrong though.

[Guest fozzie]

Ive said for years we needed to push Goodison down (thats all it will take) but where the kind of money thats going to needed for this sort of project is beyond me.

 

Our best chance of a move was the kings dock,we had all sorts of agencies throwing money at us and STILL we couldnt stump up the money for it,so this has no chance,tesco or not.

[aaron]

i like the look of those pics, looks like a very nice stadium

[MikeO]

Not really in a position to judge, not being local or a regular visitor, but I've not heard anyone saying that we need to stay at Goodison whatever the cost. The future...if we want to stay where we are, let alone get back to where we should be..has to be a new stadium. God knows where the finance will come from but it's the only option. The old lady's a hundred an fourteen years old and I'm glad she was still around for Josh to see but we've got to move on.

[StevO]

Louis - what capacity is that HSV stadium?

 

that is the stadium i want!

 

it looks truely well built, good design, fans ontop of the pitch. everything we need.

 

i like the idea of the tower on one corner.

 

im off to find more photos of that stadium drooooollllll

[Bill]

Old pic of Everton Brow if its any good. I'm sure you can find a better one.

 

 

 

 

 

Nostalgic old pic tho.

[john_webby]

i would still like to stay within liverpool but there is no doubt we need to move but i would prefer to stay a bit closer to home shall we say

 

i would love to stay at Goodison or even on the park which would be good i think for tourists and travelling fans to see both stadia and keep money in the local area

[Louis]

Steveo - 55000 funnily enough It looks crap from outside though It's called the AOL Arena.

 

http://www.hsv-aolarena.de

[StevO]

im sure a little design alteration on the outside wouldnt take much.

 

the corporate facilities look superb, it even has a museum (possibly for the david france collection?)

 

55000 would be spot on.

 

someone get on the phone to BK and Tesco, tell them save some cash and use this design (with a little external aestetics)

would please me anyway

 

EDIT

 

after seeing this i think it looks quality at night time under the lights

 

 

 

 

More here

Edited December 11, 2006 by Louis

[john_webby]

i would like to see something along the design of the redevelopment of Goodison with the tower in the corner

 

it looked great

[Louis]

John - You might fancy a read of http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~rtlloyd/stadium.html

 

 

&

 

http://www.toffeeweb.com/club/Goodison/gfe/

 

It was put forward back in the Johnson era but ignored.

 

Steve - can you see the squash courts inside? It looks bizarre doesn't it.

[Romey 1878]

I'd be well happy with a stadium (HSV) like that, looks like it would have a cracking atmosphere aswell

Edited December 12, 2006 by Romey 1878

[MikeO]

Not much more than sketches on the back of an envelope though really...looks nice but if that's as far as it got it was never a very serious proposition.

[john_webby]

i cant bring it up on my phone but i remember it looked great

[StevO]

Steve - can you see the squash courts inside? It looks bizarre doesn't it.

 

you messin? squash courts?

 

i think the blue lights on the roof look fantastic and swap the AOLArenA sign on the roof for Everton FC would look awesome walking to the ground for a night game

[aaron]

looks amazing that arena, awww i cant wait now lmao i want evertons to be like that. but the builders are suppose to be the ones who built celtics ground and st.marys isnt it? anyone got pics of those stadiums?

[StevO]

they are both shite, ok caltics has the atmosphere and the size, but we need soomethin a little special i think. may not be unique if we could copy that but id fuckin cream in my pants goin to night games!!! oh shit, i think i just have

[Guest fozzie]

Oh balls to it,lets have jumpers for goalposts lets go retro

[storm]

excuse my waffle.. slow day at work!

 

..

 

That HSV stadia looks fantastic at night .. COYB!

 

I live in the south west and only attend 2 or 3 home matches per season (always take in one midweek eve kickoff too)

As a non local supporter im well aware i dont supply as much of the spondoolies as 99% of the rest of this board, but none the less as an Evertonian i'll voice my opinion on the club i love that i want to see achieve the highest success.

 

I'll come watch us play whether we move or not, but im a firm believer in moving on and expanding our empire.

 

Personally i find the trip quite tiring, (i always drive as the train service may aswell be non existent from the south west to liverpool), and whilst parking is not too much of an issue (always endup behind the RS stadium accross the park) the surrounding area is not upto standard.

unless i want a quick burger there's no real refreshments, the small local bars are jam packed and i find myself just wanting to get to the ground (after my 3.5hr drive), watch the match and go home.. why do i feel like this? .. i shouldnt really.. possibly why i only visit a handful of times a season.

This is not the experience i/many others should be getting when we fork out 40+ pounds for entertainment (inc. refreshments).. its the 21st century and we deserve more than GP's area can ever provide .. short of making hundreds of people homeless and expanding our footprint.

 

The lack of space surrounding Goodison is evident in the Everton club shop, which is frankly not what i hoped/imagined it to be when i first heard about its development (although better than that tiny room under the main stand wasnt it?!) - having previously seen Villa Village i imagined the new developments a few years ago to be a decent size too. its not. and try to buy anything on a matchday the queuing is just ridiculous, i dont want to spend 20mins queing to get in and 30mins to buy my things, time is precious.

So instead i order online, I get to Goodison 30mins before kickoff, quick pint and fast food (not much of an option) and take in the atmosphere in the ground.

 

What would i like on matchdays? - do i want my experience to be so shortlived, 7hrs of driving with just a couple hrs inbetween?

id certainly like the chance to park nearer the stadium in an Everton car park (some underground spaces ala Ajax is it?) - primarily because that £5 per car would all be going into the Everton coffers as opposed to mr x's retirement fund, not because im lazy for the walk because im not!

Club shops - bigger and better please, incorporated at the exit of The Everton Museum - i can imagine it now walking round looking at the David France Collection alongside Replica FA Cup, Cup Winners Cup, League Trophies with pics, shirts surrounding it, the roar of the (recorded) crowd, z cars playing.. that id like to see

Casino and Bars (Tesco express!) built around the stadia - A hotel to accompany the Casino would be too much to ask perhaps?

 

i could think of nothing better than to arrive early at the ground, park close to stadium and grab a bite to eat in the Planet Everton Restaurant -> surrounded by encased Everton memorabilia, big screen tv replaying classic Everton matches. broken up between with the latest news/interviews from our EvertonTV

Happily drinking/eating away knowing Everton are taking a chunk of my £ which may well help bring in another 'Arteta' for our midfield.

 

Of course we'd need a few other quality bars to surround our new home, for those who prefer to grab a quick pint (or 3) in one of the larger Everton sports bar.

 

Then there's the revenue from non-game days, i would happily take my g/f to the Everton Hotel on a fri night, enjoy a nice meal, hit the Casino and getup excited for the match the next day, after spending a couple hrs in the morning (perhaps boring her) in our museum of course

Can i do anything like this now?.. nope. For a start my g/f wont come with me to matches anymore because she doesnt feel "safe", after the last time i took her to a match - away to Man City - Tim Cahill 1-0 .. now thats nothing to do with Goodison, but to be honest our area is hardly inviting to those who have no major affection with GP. I feel she now associates the bad experience in Manchester with perhaps the uglyness of our area.. for whatever reason, she's intimidated and wont go to a match anymore.. and yes i do enjoy watching footy with her! i like her matchday questions as i like to talk about my club - even if it is only "yes babe, AJ has great legs .. look how fast he runs!", so unless i can blag a non evertonian friend to pop up with me i travel alone, lost income there too as i'd love to double my input to the club buy buying her a ticket too.

 

 

Our stadium in a larger, cleaner open area with supporter/family friendly attractions all around would certainly help attract more visitors for certain, not just those additional WAGs but more families who feel its safe and a great place to be, i dont feel this additional differing audience would be to the detriment of any atmosphere, but would certainly help to fill the additional 15'000 seats we'd now have over Goodison.. and would in turn create an even better atmosphere for us all to enjoy our success in.

 

With all of the above extra resources, revenue into the club would jump massively, we'd then have the footing to start to progress and if we want to be up there challenging for the crown again, as we as Evertonians deserve our club to be, then we need this change - unless there are any secret evertonian billionaires out there who wanna play a game of "footy monopoly" against a Russian or Sheik i cant see those glory days returning..

 

My opinions are perhaps slightly selfish towards those like myself who travel,or to corporate visitors who demand a greater experience than Goodison and its surrounding area can give, but i cant see why the likes of a "Planet Everton" Restaurant wouldnt be welcomed by many local supporters, even if not on matchdays, im sure you guys would still love a random tuesday night out there to eat, maybe even bump into Moyes whos there taking his family out to eat with his discount card

 

As for the stadium itself im not an accoustics engineer or architect so i'll just say we need it as compact as will allow, i dont want to get this new stadium then find myself not being able to tell one player from another because my heads in the clouds.. and likewise I still want to be deafend and feel the rumble under my feet as 50000 evertonians with non obstructed views are jumping for joy at another goal for the mighty blues.

 

 

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

[StevO]

to be honest, me and my mates have discussed Planet Everton

[aaron]

plant Everton sounds catchy, great name for the restruant lol

[Bill]

Thats a great post Storm, you can "Waffle" all day if you come out with some more like that, thats how a lot of the travelling support feel.

Again i say, Well said Mate.

[StevO]

we do need to look after all of our fans, like storm, the ones who travel hours, or us local fans who travel 5, 10, 15 mins. its all the same experience we know and love, any body who has walked through the cemetary on a match day seeing Goodison appear over the horizon will know what i mean

[Louis]

I agree with Storm entirely. There's not much more you can add to his assessment.

[Mac]

Storm, my boy, that was a fantastic post. Well thought through and very succinct.

 

Goodison will always hold a special place in my heart, as does my first blow job, but I've moved on and so should we as a club. For me this question was a no brainer Andy, we HAVE to move grounds. It is that simple.

 

ATB

 

Mac

[GoldfishMemory]

Storm, my boy, that was a fantastic post. Well thought through and very succinct.

 

Goodison will always hold a special place in my heart, as does my first blow job, but I've moved on and so should we as a club. For me this question was a no brainer Andy, we HAVE to move grounds. It is that simple.

 

ATB

 

Mac

 

Ahh that moment in every young boys life

 

as long as it didnt involve the priest or scout master

[Mac]

Ahh that moment in every young boys life

 

as long as it didnt involve the priest or scout master

 

Nothing like that L, just my Mams mate.

 

ATB

 

Mac

[GoldfishMemory]

Bravo fine sir mine was in the hall way in school during a "toilet break" from lesson, had a close shave when a teacher walked through the doors too and to this day I still dont know if he saw anything or not!!