Everton take first steps into Bramley-Moore Dock with test event

Will be streamed live on the club's YouTube channel:

Good luck to all attending - hope it is more majestic than it looks on a computer screen... let us all know how you get on if you are there

Wigan have just scored!

2-0 = time for the boys to stand up and be counted! COYB!

First thoughts are that the ground needs a train station a lot Closer to the stadium than either Moorefields or Sandhills. It’s a long walk to either of these stations and the traffic is going to be an absolute nightmare for night time fixtures judging by tonight.

Only ten thousand people inside the ground, but with the kids off school the traffic was still pretty chaotic and will stay like this for a while or until the city finds a lot more infrastructure with regards public transportation.

People who have been to the game will be able to tell us a lot more but that was my initial thought after trying to navigate myself towards the stadium, from the city centre at around 5.30 this evening.

Ray Roberts peno pulls one back..
The lack of transport links seems ridiculous, let's hear what people share tomorrow.

Harrison Reece (i think that is his name), scored the first ever goal (for Wigan of course) at The Everton Stadium.

I suspect it may have been Harrison Armstrong, were he not on loan at Derby County.

I am not suggesting he should not be out on loan, I hope he does really well and can play a valuable part in our first team next season.

The result was secondary of course and at least we scored a consolation goal, albeit a penalty.

On tele, it looked like about 90 percent of fans had left when we finally scored.

I guess to make an escape in time to get transport.

Overall consensus from those that were there seems to be that the stadium is absolutely incredible, the transport links are a concern, and the pies are a little expensive.

I wonder what the volume was like on the loudspeaker system? It’s always deafening in the Park End at Goodison.

That is a truly stunning picture at the top of the thread Lyndon. Awe inspiring.

It's like a see-saw for me. One day I feel more sorry about saying goodbye to The Old Lady rather than happy about this magnificent stadium in its truly iconic setting and the next day it is the other way around.

But tonight with this match, this thread, and the clear excitement and amazement of all who were lucky enough to be there, it is the other way around.

And well done 16-year-old Ray Roberts! You made history tonight! I hope that he has a great career.

And Peter (Moore) the kopite put up his six fingers on one hand after he scored. I hope that he has a crap career and a charge.

And how good does our Braiden Graham look! He will have a great career.

(I spell checked and grammar checked before pressing submit Lyndon to hopefully go a little way to meeting your higher expectations)

As much as the leaving of Goodison will be emotional, it feels like it's positive, beneficial, necessary. Basically all good news with no regret. And the new stadium does look magnificent. Day one of a stadium that to future generations might one day be as beloved as Goodison.

The only thing I kind of thought watching the test event, was whether it felt like 'Everton'. Is it missing something that is uniquely us? Hard to put a finger on what exactly that is when I've been so used to the features of the Old Lady. Maybe it just takes time to get used to something new.

Is there any EVERTON FC logo outside the stadium or on the stadium itself ? Might have missed it.

The new stadium from the outside looks absolutely amazing, and when you get to your seat the view is also amazing. But I must say the concourses look awful with all the open metal pipe work.im sure there's a reason for it, but I'm sure they could have made it look better.

I knew about the 12 unexploded devices removed from BMD prior to filling it in, but wasn't aware that they had to "guide" 2 porpoises out prior to commencing that work...therefore would I be right in assuming that we could now call this a "PORPOISE-BUILT FOOTBALL STADIUM"?

...don't go there, I have got my coat!

I must admit, I'm finding myself despairing of this generation. And I didn't think I was old enough to use a phrase like that.

Every post on social media about the test event (that's what it was) is full of the same brainless fools saying "best stadium in the championship", "still celebrating the 2-2 cup", "you're crying because a Liverpool fan scored the first goal".

When did football chat become such "brainless banter"? The kind of comments made would see them laughed out by any group of credible football fans. Yet on social media it continues... This is comfortably the worst generation yet and it's not even close. And I say that as a parent of teenagers.

I was one of the lucky ten thousand last night. The views from the stands are great. The concourse is wide with plenty of serving counters. Queues should be a thing of the past. Sandhills, 15 minutes walk, wasn’t really stress tested last night as many left before the end. There are plenty of businesses with parking adjacent to the ground but if the road closures last night are replicated then many will be inaccessible. The contribution to date of the Council and Merseytravel appears to be minimal. Is this down to them waiting for the further development of the Ten Streets area? Our club has done more than its part in not just building a ground but in civic responsibility, £55 million on heritage work alone. It’s way past time for public bodies to do their bit towards regeneration of the area via transport links. At the very least communicate their plans, do they have any?

Still remember walking up the steps in the Paddock (50p to get in) and seeing the floodlights and a great expanse of green before me for the first time.

That was 50 years ago.

Hope to have the same experience in the new stadium.

I just don't understand LCC, they've had 4 years to sort out the transport network for the new stadium. But it's like they have just realised it's been built. And the parking restrictions around the ground even on non match days are bonkers

Spurs stadium, circa. £100m investment in public transport infrastructure, more than nearly any other part of London. Everton, one hundred metal barriers at Sandhills.

Seismic night in the club’s history. Even if we couldn’t ’get the W’

Can’t wait to travel and see this stadium next season with my kids and check out their stone on Everton way.

Everton are rising

Well, Everton have done their bit. A world class stadium built in a dead and derelict part of the city while preserving all the historical and world famous remnants of a long gone age. New life will take root in this area now and will become famous and popular because of it and what it will nurture.

So it's time now for the city council and the metropolitan mayor to pull their fucking fingers out and sort out public transport and car parking. Shuttle buses both ways along Gt Howard St. Another station between Blundellsands and Moorfields even if it only operates on match days. The old heritage market car park could be used as a BMD car park. At the moment it's used to store trailers. For that matter a park and ride scheme with buses rather than trains from Stanley Park. It has to be done and done quickly.

I was one of the Lucky ones last night and would like to try and answer some of the points raised.
The gap between the seats and the pitch was wider than I expected, the view from our seats was a perfect, you could see the whole pitch. We where in row 55 a similar height to my seat in the top balcony at Goodison but slightly further back. I have minor mobility issues so the climb from the Vomitory to the seat was a downside, the hand rails are a great addition.
The sound system was very good you could still hold a conversation during announcements, unlike at Goodison.
It was a bitterly cold night with a steady breeze evident outside the Stadium, once inside I never felt a puff of wind.
Transport links will be a problem, the walk to and from Sandhills is level all the way unlike Kirkdale to Goodison and a similar distance. The queueing system just about coped last night a 3 PM kick off on a Saturday will be a nightmare.
A new purpose built station on boundary street would have been Ideal. With all the development planed, why not replace the Dockers Umbrella with a Monorail system.

In this country, especially now with 15 years of right wing governments, you end up with scenes like those at Sandhills station.

Everton has provided a state of the art arena, in an iconic position, to bring fame and fortune to the city and revitalize what was a run down neglected area of the city. The government both local and national has contributed nothing regarding infrastructure, transport links are almost non existent.

Steve Rotheram has been picking up a huge salary for at least the time it took to plan and construct this stadium and has done nothing to address the glaring transport requirements needed to get people safely to and from the stadium.

My son attended last night, train to Lime St and shuttle bus from there, so no issues for him. But other people travelling thro Sandhills were left astounded by the dangerous set up on the platform, bear in mind there will be 5 times as many people for the first game.

Urgent discussions need to take place and immediate actions taken. Everton FC has done their part, local and national government need to step up NOW.

I went last night here are my initial thoughts

Journey:

I got the train from Roby then the designated shuttle bus from Limestreet.

The buses were great and included in a saveaway so two trains two buses total cost £4.80 in an Area C saveaway.

I would question if they will have enough buses when at full capacity, time will tell but it worked brilliantly last night. Obviously a bigger issue outside of the Club's control is Northern Rail and lack of service. I have seen people complain about blue badge parking but again this the council.

If we had a forward thinking council we'd have built a tram the full lengh of the waterfront from the arena to Bootle, bringing the whole waterfront together. Instead there appears to be next to nothing done by Liverpool Council other than putting up parking charges by 40% ending free nighttime city centre parking, and implementing the strictest parking zone in the city, far worse than at Goodison and Anfield. Again out of the Club's control but the City and Metro Mayor should be ashamed.

The stadium:

There are no words to describe how impressive it really is. Everton said it is not finished and kitted out properly yet but what was there last night already blew me away. The South stand is very steep I was sitting row 54 out of 63 last night. I went to the back to check and it's some walk. There really isn't a bad view there. One thing I will say it was freezing last night. Obviously again not Everton's fault but be wary it does seem colder than Goodison as you're not as tightly packed in.

Food and Drink:

There was not a full offering on last night. What was on offer was really good quality. Obviously the prices were expensive but most stadium prices are. We paid £9.50 for a few chicken strips, £2.95 for a bottle of Tango, £2.25 for a bottle of water and £3.50 for an Everton donut. I guess Everton just need to be careful here. Charge too much sell to little. The prices are not that much worse than Goodison today.

Bar:

We were in South Upper

The area was amazing the view of the city, the space, the fact when open you'll be able to walk around nearly the whole ground is going to be great for fans to meet. They couldn't sell alcohol last night, but you can see it being really popular even if it's expensive.

Overall it was a special night and I feel privileged to be one of the first fans in there. This ground is something to be proud of and will definitely generate lot more revenue for the club. It's just a shame the City Council and Metro Mayor are more interested in fleecing fans than helping them, they really need to work on the surrounding infrastructure and transport links.

It’ll be a while before Sandhills doubles its capacity from its current peak of 3000 people an hour.

Liverpool City Region statement, “Outline designs have been developed for the additional entrance (Sandhills) and are with Network Rail for approval. Funding has also been secured for the next stage of design development. This will be started once all Network Rail approvals have been received and a contractor appointed to undertake and deliver the scheme.We currently expect detailed design works for the additional entrance (Sandhills) to be completed in Spring 2024. The Fan Management Zone must be complete and in place before the first match can take place at the new stadium, and we are working towards confirming the timescales for the additional station entrance project soon."

Stunning photo, stunning stadium.

The transport links have been an afterthought, to which I would apportion a lot of that to Liverpool City Council, the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and, given that we have been selected for Euro 2028, the national government.

The club could have been more proactive in influencing, although without making excuses, the new owners only had approval for takeover two months ago tomorrow. Given that we got the green light 5 years ago this month, there has been plenty of time to sort this out.

The parking situation just doesn't seem to have even been considered, for those who drive. Taxis apparently can't get near and I think buses would be equally a nightmare.

I agree that there should have been a new station in between Brunswick and Sandhills. And something with a lot more capacity than those stations. One similar in design to South Parkway. Spacious and where multiple platforms can be used to accommodate more people.

I can't believe my Docker's Umbrella tribute was stolen!! I've been repeatedly suggesting that for years. Again, with stops along the way. Albert Dock, Pier Head, Bramley Moore, maybe even as far as Crosby? Not only would it serve Everton, but the city for visitors hopping on an off as they take in the scenic sites of the city, including the Everton stadium, along the waterfront.

It's absolutely incredible!!

The social media trolling by RS and other fans just shows their jealously.

At a time where we've been through some of our worse football & financial battles, the club have delivered what many thought was just fantasy.

The council and politicians will try and use this to their advantage, don't allow it !

They've sat on their hands for 5 years, watched it rise from the banks of the Mersey, and now they want to start thinking transport & infrastructure ?

Don't let a single Mp or Councillor in the place until they pull their fingers out.

I could have knocked that "fanzone" up at sandhills on my way home from work one Saturday afternoon.

There should have been a whole new transport hub with modern bus station, taxi terminals, links to all routes.

I sincerely hope when 50 odd thousand Evertoians are due there the club and fans are not let down by the Council and politicians.

Danny 27. Wouldn’t that Dockers Umby be something special. I remember “me” or is it my dad taking me on it. I can’t remember but think it went to Seaforth must have been 1954 ish.

What a tribute that would have been to the dockers along the Mersey. It would also keep you dry walking underneath it to BMD.

Highly recommend checking out the "Mister Drone UK" footage from the test event on Youtube.

Danny I have read and enjoyed many of your posts on TW over the years even commented on a few, but no where near all of them. Unfortunately I must have missed all those proposing a Monorail system. FYI a Monorail was included in the original Sketches for Liverpool Waters in the Echo some 20 years ago.

A monorail is pie in the sky I'm afraid to say fellas.

It shouldn't be, the council are stuck in a bygone time. Although the club can't be blamed for public transport and transport infrastructure failures, they should have been more demanding to to council about guarantees about these issues.

"We will spend 800m on this amazing new attraction to the city, but you have to guarantee us the the transport and infrastructure "

It will be the reputation of the club and the perception of the stadium if there's chaos when at full capacity that will suffer.
I feel we could have pushed them to do more earlier.

I not long posted on TW and have a number of times since we decided to move to BMD regarding ferries.
Putting a tidal jetty on the BMD river wall is dead easy and can be done really quick at minimal cost.
I know a number of companies that once given the go could get this done in quick time. We do it worldwide every bloody day!
Wall strength structure analysis, seabed survey wouldn’t take time. Fitting, weather permitting and design decided, nowt.
Having the Council running extra trips from the other side on matchdays for fans travelling from the Wirral and points South would make them a fortune.
Admittedly matchdays would still see fan congestion but the hundreds we could divert via ferry/river craft can only be a help.
Can’t believe we’re still talking about this. Should have been done immediately after sand filling of the dock

I see Mr Slot was trying to take some satisfaction from a Wigan youth team player, who supports LFC, scoring the first goal at Bramley Moore.

Someone needs to take Slot to one side and just explain to him just who played at Anfield first, who scored there first, who won the first league title at Anfield and who was relegated at Anfield.

If you come to this city and try to take the piss you need to have a bit more accumen than Mr Slot appears to have.

I fear the big news story in the media in August will not be about the opening of an iconic stadium but about the shambolic transport arrangements.

The new parking zones are already causing considerable problems not only for fans on match days but for people and businesses going about their daily routine. Additional rail services/lines/stations would have helped but there is no prospect of money being invested for significant new infrastructure because we are not in London or the south east.

The notion of the stadium being a seven day a week facility is undermined by the lack of parking, the lack of bus services and the lack of a railway station in close proximity.

Most of this is unsurprising but the City Council’s new parking restrictions have just made a bad situation much worse. As ever we will just have to make the best of it and carry on.

When you think about things logically John, you get the feeling that this is a very sinister move by the city council.

Why? Why would you bring in such restrictions for every single day of the year? How is this looking after local businesses?

Larry (34) another perspective is EFC are now living rent-free inside Slot’s cue-ball head! Another hint is in a recent prematch preview (Wolves I think) he again mentioned Everton. So wouldnt it be great if Moyes could finally break his away match at the neighbours hoodoo and turn the RS over at our old ground. You also cannot rule out ground envy: Slots tots play in an extended shoe-box whereas we will move into a state of the art centrally located Modern Coliseum…

LCC and Lord Mayor Rotherham must be held to account for this Transport shambles.
Standing aside a few metal barriers at Sandhills is akin to Cone man!

The No Car Parking zone is utter lunacy.
The lack of planning, the failure to develop any transport infrastructure whatsoever over the construction time period is a disgrace.
Even the basics haven’t been thought through let alone tram systems, monorail, bus hubs, use of the River.

The Government announce funding and support for wealthiest club in the worlds infrastructure ( not stadium).
How about supporting the regeneration of this area of Liverpool?
Where is LCCs foresight and contribution to supporting the regeneration of this area?
It can’t just be the private sector, local government has to play its part as an enabler.

Noise from all parties needs to grow quickly. LCC needs to embarrassed into belated action.

A tidal jetty at BMD would cost nowhere near what they're paying for the Woodside refurb

https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/news/piling-demolition-and-welding-full-speed-ahead-for-woodside-ferry-terminal-revamp

I've also posted this comment on ToffeeWeb so apologies for repetition.

I was looking at an Everton fans Facebook group and there was mention of recreating the Archibald Leitch design at the new stadium.
They had spotted the white wall half way down the South Stand where the fans were and thought that might be an ideal spot to use the original pieces and transport them to our new place...

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue !

#38 Ian, totally agree with all of that however I can’t help feeling that Colin Chong and the Stadium project team have takentheir eye off the ball also. I read on the Grand Old Team forum that it is actually Everton who are liable for most of the costs including upgrades at Sandhills which surprised me! Either way the transport strategy and stadium safe access / egress must have been an ongoing discussion between EFC & LCC. Schemes like a monorail, Trams, dedicated train station, pontoons etc are great but years maybe decades off happening, there are however immediate fixes that can and should be implemented asap including Sandhill upgrades, street lighting, parking, park and ride etc.

Paul it is not unusual for the planning applicant to contribute to some infrastructure ( Sandhills in this case) by way of planning gain.
This benefits Everton’s fans and the wider community.
The Everton stadium is the first step, major step, in the much needed regeneration of this area of Liverpool.
The council are not obligated to do everything to meet the needs of Everton fans, nor should they disrupt Mrs Dodd in Knotty Ash. They should do the basics well however.
From the Councils perspective, the Everton stadium is a prize catalyst for regenerating the area. Private sector will play a part, but it must go hand in hand with transport infrastructure.
The Council cannot just opt out.
I hear that Everton Fans Forum have registered concerns with LCC and the Mayors Office and that further discussions are set to be held.
Let’s hope we get some common sense as a minimum.

The transport budget and initial plans are in place and the money has been allocated. Is it enough and will it be delivered in time?

BMD/Sandhills specifically has been budgeted at under 0.5% (£3million) of the £710 million central government pot awarded to Liverpool.

https://api.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/LCR-Sustainable-Transport-Settlement-Prospectus.pdf

Agreed Ian, what Everton have built is quite simply extraordinary and something for us all to be proud of. Redevelopment of the area will take time for sure and this was always the case, however I think we are all concerned at how little has been done. Great work by the Fans Forum in calling out LCC btw - absolutely the right thing to do. I still think however that Colin Chong should explain the clubs stance and how the lack of basic facilities in the surrounding area has been allowed to happen (it shouldn’t take a first test event to realise this). I’m guessing he’s all over it since we won’t be getting a safety certificate unless some of the issues are addressed.

Thanks for the link Pete. The thing that jumps out to me is the delivery date for Sandhills upgrades - 2023/24. We’re in 2025 and from what I read on TW the outline plans haven’t been approved yet by Network Rail! This won’t be done before we kick off our first PL game for sure.

I agree Paul, and even when these initial plans are approved the final plans then need to be delivered and approved. Looks like the £3million needs to have another £5 million allocated from local funds. Not sure what £8 million will deliver. Maybe an upgraded entrance, cover for queues. There was talk of an extra footbridge to ease congestion. Communication/update from the Council would help.

For anyone interested in asking the Council to reconsider their parking restrictions please see this:

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-365-day-parking-restrictions-around-bramley-moore-everton-stadium