Transport around major football grounds like Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium is “not good” and “needs sorting”, according to a Premier League official. Since the Toffees relocated from Goodison Park last summer, Sandhills has become the main railway station used by thousands of fans visiting Bramley-Moore Dock.
Earlier this month, members of Liverpool Council’s planning committee signed off on proposals to extend the queuing area for fans attending matches at the second attempt. An additional 2,000 supporters will be able to queue in an extended zone after local authority leaders gave the go-ahead for land at the station to be repurposed.
Premier League lessons from Everton’s new home
At a fringe event at the Labour Party conference, Max Chambers, corporate affairs director for the Premier League, told the ECHO of the lessons learned from Everton’s development on the docks and how transport is key to future projects for its clubs. Mr Chambers was among a panel of speakers discussing how sports venues can help boost growth in towns and cities.
After a four-year build, Hill Dickinson Stadium opened its doors on Liverpool’s docklands as Everton's men's team relocated from L4. Panel chair Steph Driver, former Downing Street director of communications, said the impact of the 52,769-seater stadium was something you could “see and feel” in the city.
Regeneration and EURO 2028 role
The new ground is one of the host cities for the UEFA EURO 2028 championships in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. Mr Chambers said the “persistence” to get the stadium built would be one of the key points of learning the league would take forward as it works with the government through the new stadium regeneration accelerator programme.
The Good Growth Foundation held a panel at Labour Party conference alongside the Premier League. Announced in May, the scheme will work with sporting bodies on priority sports infrastructure development projects that can help deliver regeneration and commercial growth.
Steph Peacock MP, sports minister, said Hill Dickinson Stadium was a “really good example” of what can be achieved and the new programme would be a “good opportunity to work with local authorities and stakeholders to create housing, jobs and apprenticeships.”
Transport concerns and future plans
Mr Chambers said the development of stadiums like Hill Dickinson have an “accordion effect for towns and cities” in bringing in supporters and economic growth. Asked by the ECHO what the Premier League would learn from Everton’s new home, he said the issue around Liverpool’s UNESCO status made it a “very complex” situation alongside the changes at boardroom level as The Friedkin Group took over the club from Farhad Moshiri in December 2024.
The difficulties around matchday transport, particularly around rail services, have caused much annoyance for Evertonians and Mr Chambers said a lessons learned exercise would be taken forward “to make sure these things are lined up in advance.” Praful Nargund, director of the Good Growth Foundation which hosted the event, said stadium development was an opportunity to use transport as a “multiplying effect” on the economy.
