Big-league rugby match at Everton Stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, April 4^th, 2025

Image: Everton FC

The Premier League team Everton F.C. will host international sport in its new stadium – the Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in Vauxhall, Liverpool, England (UK) – just a few months after it opens.

‘AP’ stated that the club announced recently that a high-profile rugby league match between England and Australia will take place at the Everton Stadium on November 1^st.

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.

The Goodison Park is a football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, England (UK) that has been the home of the Premier League club Everton F.C. since 1892. It is two miles (three km) North of the City Centre and has an all-seated capacity of 39,414.

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

‘AP’ further stated that the 53,000-seat venue on the waterfront at the Bramley-Moore Dock will host Everton’s soccer matches starting next season replacing the club’s longtime home of Goodison Park.

The new stadium has been staging test events in recent weeks.

Commented Colin Chong, Everton’s Interim Chief Executive, “As well as being home to Everton our new stadium has been built to also host the world-class sporting and entertainment events. Securing an international fixture of this magnitude demonstrates the Everton Stadium’s status as one of United Kingdom’s leading venues.”

Everton’s new stadium has already been selected as a host venue for the men’s European Championship in 2028.

The 2028 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA EURO 2028 or simply EURO 2028, will be the 18th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international football championship. It will be co-hosted by England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales (UK) and is projected to take place from June 9^th-July 9^th, 2028.

Nyon (Switzerland)-based the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan as well as the West Asian countries of Cyprus, Armenia and Israel. The UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Since 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIFA and the UEFA suspended all the Russian national teams and the clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.

Smash Hit

‘Everton’ stated that the Everton has successfully completed its second test event marking a significant milestone in the club’s journey to its new stadium.

The Everton Under-21s beat the Bolton Wanderers B (the reserve team of the Bolton Wanderers Football Club which competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system) 1-0 at an event held recently which was designed to assess the various operational aspects of the stadium and saw more than 25,000 fans experience the matchday facilities, ticketing, stewarding, and service operations.

‘Everton’ further stated that after the success of the first test event in February welcomed more than 10,000 people to the stadium this event was the first time that the fan engagement activity was held in the expansive Plaza.

The City’s newest piece of public realm lies in the shadow of the Everton Stadium and played host to live music, entertainment and an expanded range of English, Greek, Indian, and Italian street food as well as soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Working in partnership with Aramark – who are recognized as one of the world’s most leading food service providers – the Evertonians were able to sample a test menu which included salt and pepper chicken, loaded sausage rolls, hotdogs, and a club-branded toffee doughnut on the concourses.

Philadelphia (US)-based Aramark serves the world’s leading educational institutions, the Fortune 500 companies, the world champion sports teams, the prominent healthcare providers, the iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and the numerous Municipalities in 16 countries around the world with food and facilities management. Because of their hospitality culture their employees strive to do great things for each other, their partners, their communities, and the planet.

A key part of the event was the successful testing of the stadium’s evacuation procedures with the Evertonians playing an important role in ensuring the process ran smoothly.

Observed Chong, “This was a hugely important step in our transition to the Everton Stadium and we are delighted with how the stadium and our protocols handled the increase in capacity. Following the first test event we received a lot of positive feedback on the matchday experience elements and the food offer while we also took on board some learnings from an operational perspective. We will continue to engage with the local authorities, the City stakeholders and the fan groups about the long-term travel plan through the Transport Working Group. We’ve been able to continue testing key operational areas that will be a crucial step as we aim to deliver a world-class matchday experience.”

Added Chong, “I’d like to thank everyone who played a part in making this test event a resounding success, our Under-21s players and the staff, the Bolton Wanderers for taking part in this historic friendly, the local and the licensing authorities, the club staff, the contractors, and, of course, the Evertonians who attended. A special thanks to all those who took part in the evacuation exercise as these tests will be vital in ensuring the safety and comfort of all the supporters on matchdays. The cooperation and enthusiasm from the supporters has been invaluable as we prepare to move into what will be a truly iconic home for our club.”

Further details on a final test event will be provided in the coming months as the club continues to fine-tune the Everton Stadium operations.

The successful test event keeps the Everton F.C. on track for the final phases of preparation ahead of the stadium’s official opening in advance of the 2025-2026 seasons.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 420 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue