Goodison Park SAVED as Everton announce plans to turn venue into ‘most iconic stadium in league’

Goodison Park will be saved from demolition even after Everton Football Club`s men`s team relocates.

The men`s side is preparing for an emotional final match at the historic 133-year-old ground this Sunday.

The men`s team will move into their new state-of-the-art 53,000-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

However, the club has ensured that Goodison Park will remain in active use.

Everton Women are set to make the stadium their new permanent home and believe it will become “the most iconic venue in the Women`s Super League”.

Everton initiated `The Goodison Legacy` project in 2020 to determine the stadium`s future after the men`s team`s move.

The club`s new owners, the Friedkin Group, decided that football should continue to be played on the site that first opened its doors in 1892.

This announcement guarantees Goodison Park`s continued significance within Liverpool, preventing its previously planned demolition.

Everton`s former owners had proposed £82 million plans to demolish the stadium and replace it with housing, a care home, retail units, and a park.

Instead, the 39,572-capacity Goodison Park will become the largest dedicated women`s football stadium in the country.

This capacity is significantly larger than Everton Women`s current home ground, Walton Hall Park.

Reports indicate that the club plans to make upgrades to the changing rooms and update the exterior to reflect the women`s team.

Everton Women captain Megan Finnigan commented on the move, stating, “This move is a testament to where the women’s game is right now and, more importantly, where it is heading.”

She added, “Goodison is a magical stadium with a deep heritage and close ties to the local community.”

Finnigan expressed her excitement: “Leading the team out for that first home match of next season will be nothing short of a career highlight – and the prospect of what Everton Women can become with such an iconic ground to call our home is hugely exciting.”

This news follows recent comments from former Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, who told Sky Sports he had been given a 2028 deadline for Goodison`s demolition.

Moshiri stated: “My advisors told me that their estimate was by 2028, Goodison should be demolished and [move into] a new stadium.”

He reflected on the history of attempts to build a new ground, realizing it was the primary priority for the club. He noted: “They were all in love with Goodison and then I was in love with Goodison, nobody wanted to move.”

However, Moshiri concluded: “But the reason we had to leave was partly infrastructural, partly financial.”

For the men`s final home game this weekend against the already-relegated Saints, the Premier League has granted special permission.

As part of the `End of an Era` ceremony ahead of the move to the £1 billion new ground, Toffees supporters will be allowed to drink alcohol in view of the pitch, which is normally prohibited.

Fans can purchase alcoholic beverages from hospitality areas, bars, and kiosks after the final whistle, around 2 pm, until 2:45 pm. They can then take these drinks to their seats to watch the post-match ceremony.