Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock opened its doors to 10,000 fans for a test event featuring an under-18 friendly match against Wigan Athletic. This marks an important step for the Premier League club as they prepare to say goodbye to Goodison Park at the end of the season. The new 52,888-seat arena, which took four years to build and cost approximately 800 million pounds ($1.01 billion), is also set to host Euro 2028 matches.
Keith Southern, Everton’s under-18 coach, praised the design of the stadium, noting, “Whoever’s designed it has done a fantastic job because the stands are on top of you. When this is full next season, it’s going to be a hell of a place to play.”
During the test match, Wigan’s Harrison Rimmer scored the first goal at the new stadium in the 12th minute, and Everton lost 2-1, with Ray Robert scoring for the hosts.
As Goodison Park prepares to host its final competitive game on May 18 against Southampton, the historic stadium will be demolished, and the land will be redeveloped into a mixed-use scheme featuring housing and office spaces. The new stadium is expected to provide an exciting future for the club and its fans.
