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Everton is weighing up retaining Goodison Park for football use as the new home of its Women’s Super League (WSL) team, according to multiple reports.
The Premier League club’s owner, The Friedkin Group (TFG), has launched a feasibility study into the prospect in what would be a change to the original vision for Goodison Park, once the new Everton Stadium is fully opened.
Everton Women currently play at Walton Hall Park, but its capacity of around 2,000, with only 500 seats, means it will soon be too small for WSL requirements. According to The Times, executive chairman Marc Watts is said to have pitched the Goodison Park proposal to Everton staff members, stating detailed exploratory work had commenced.
The facilities at Walton Hall Park would remain in place and continue to be used by Everton for women’s football. Everton first submitted an outline planning application for the future redevelopment of Goodison Park in April 2020.
Liverpool City Council approved the latest plans for the Goodison Park legacy project in May 2022. Everton and Everton in the Community have received outline planning permission to create new community-focused legacy development on the site when the club moves to its new 52,888-seat stadium for the 2025-26 season.
Initial plans focus on delivering health and wellbeing facilities, education amenities, business start-up facilities, community retail, a youth zone, homes – including sheltered housing for the elderly – and a permanent tribute to Goodison Park through green space using the area that is the pitch’s current centre circle at the venue which first opened in 1892.
Everton on Monday posted a loss of £53.2m (€63.6m/$68.7m) for the 2023-24 financial year as it continued funding the development of its new stadium, although the club is forecasting “long-term stability” under new owners TFG.
On March 23, Everton welcomed more than 25,000 fans to its new stadium as the club’s Under-21s team defeated Bolton Wanderers B 1-0. It was the second of three planned test events at the stadium before Everton officially moves in next season.
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