Training ground options
FAN VIEW
Could Everton one day build a new training ground at Liverpool's North Docks?
When Everton announced the move to Bramley-Moore Dock, most Evertonians saw it as a stadium project. But what if it turns out to be something much bigger?
The Liverpool City Region has now unveiled plans for a 430-acre North Docks Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), covering the land around Hill Dickinson Stadium. The vision is huge – around 17,000 new homes, five million square feet of commercial space, parks, hotels, offices, leisure attractions and major infrastructure improvements.
It isn't just about building a football stadium anymore. It's about creating an entirely new district of Liverpool. And that raises an interesting question.
Could Everton eventually become more than just the stadium's occupiers? Could the club secure land for a new training base or elite performance centre right on the waterfront?
The Stadium Has Changed Everything
For decades, Liverpool's northern docks have been full of untapped potential. Various masterplans have come and gone, but nothing has really provided the catalyst needed to kick-start regeneration.
Everton's move to Bramley-Moore Dock appears to have changed that.
The new stadium is expected to attract millions of visitors every year, bringing investment, jobs and confidence into an area that has long needed it. The proposed MDC is designed to build on that momentum by making it easier to assemble land, improve infrastructure and attract developers.
In many ways, Everton aren't just part of the regeneration anymore—they're helping drive it.
A Blue Campus?
Imagine a future where the first team trains just a few minutes from the stadium.
Players could move between training and matchday facilities with ease. Sports science, rehabilitation and recovery facilities could all be based close to Hill Dickinson Stadium, creating something closer to the integrated campuses seen at Europe's biggest clubs.
It isn't a far-fetched idea.
The MDC would have powers to assemble land and coordinate large-scale developments in a way that's difficult under normal planning rules. If Everton ever wanted to expand their presence around the docks, the framework would certainly make conversations easier.
The Reality Check
Of course, there are some obvious obstacles. Premier League training grounds are enormous. Between pitches, academy buildings, medical facilities and parking, they can easily require 40 to 60 acres.
That's a huge amount of land to dedicate in one of Liverpool's most valuable regeneration zones.
The MDC's current plans are centred around housing, commercial development, hotels, offices and public spaces. Every acre along the waterfront is likely to be valuable, making a traditional training ground difficult to justify.
Then there's Finch Farm. Everton already have a respected training complex that continues to serve both the first team and academy well. Walking away from that investment would cost a significant amount of money.
A Smarter Option?
Perhaps the answer isn't replacing Finch Farm at all. Instead, Everton could eventually develop a smaller elite performance hub beside the stadium.
Think medical facilities, recovery suites, sports science labs, indoor training areas and meeting spaces. Players could prepare for matches, recover after games and spend more time around the stadium, while Finch Farm continues as the club's primary training and academy base.
That sort of arrangement would give Everton the best of both worlds.
The Bigger Picture
Whether a new training base ever happens is anyone's guess, and there is absolutely nothing in the published MDC plans suggesting it is being considered.
But what is becoming clear is that Everton's influence on North Liverpool is growing well beyond football.
The new stadium has become the anchor for one of the biggest regeneration projects the city has seen in generations. As investment flows into the docks over the next decade, the club is likely to play an increasingly important role in shaping what the area becomes.
For supporters, that's an exciting thought.
We've spent years talking about Everton moving into a world-class stadium. Now we might be watching the club become the centrepiece of an entirely new waterfront district.
A new training ground? Maybe not. A smaller elite performance centre? That feels much more realistic.
Either way, it shows just how much the conversation around Everton has changed. The club is no longer simply moving stadiums—it's helping redefine an entire part of Liverpool.
And that, perhaps, could be the biggest legacy of Bramley-Moore Dock.
Reader Responses
Selected thoughts from readers11/07/2026 09:28:43
There is no doubt in my mind that our new stadium has been and will continue to be an important catalyst in the future of the Northern Docklands. However, often the trouble for Liverpool is the redevelopment of one area can have a significant downturn on others ie Church street / Lord Street after the development of Liverpool One. And our move away from Goodison Park is already not helping the former busy but struggling Walton area.
So I am cautious about the City Council or the Mayors Office as they designate yet another with a catchy title, as to my mind much of Liverpool can now be described as ' All fur coat and no Nickers '. What was once a thriving commercial economy has now become dependant on visitors with bars, cafes and shops providing low wage employment, and businesses with little interest or money to reinvest in the area.
So yes please let's see the Northern Docklands redeveloped, but any development must be comprehensive and we should understand the ongoing implications so access and transport issues must be included. Many will remember the Wonderful International Garden Festival, promoted by Government but not supported by the City Council and some 30 years on we still await a final solution to the use of the site.
11/07/2026 10:56:08
"Fingers crossed that one day we shall have our own Mini Estadi and ritual on the River Mersey banks".
We have a mini estadi already, it's called Goodison Park!
11/07/2026 18:59:03
Jerome, the England Fiji game today in the new stadium, along with recent Rugby league Internationals, have shown that the stadium can attract footfall, and money, to the area. I think, for the city Council, this shows the better potential for developing the area around the stadium.
Planning permission may go in this direction, rather than training facilities. Gyms, hotels, transport hubs, office blocks, bars, coffee shops yes, training facilities, leass so.
I know nothing about housing stock in Liverpool, including the idea of supply and demand, including social housing, but this also may have a say in how planning permission is applied for, and granted, along the docklands area.
The Council has to consider a multitude of options, demands, and money sounding ideas. The council, does after all, have to be self financing to some degree.
11/07/2026 20:41:08
yeah thanks jerome, as soon as saw training ground options, I knew who the author would be !!! imagining a future where the 1st team train minutes away from the stadium does'nt really excite me but hey whatever floats yer boat !
everton actually winning a trophy would excite me and maybe a few others too ?
liverpool city council won't allow it and tfg are'nt interested so no ain't gonna happen..
and to conclude you mention a "elite perfomance hub" this version of everton and elite perfomance don't belong on the same page.
11/07/2026 22:15:46
Philip#5
Not owning their own ground and the current facilities Everton have are a infrastructure structure problem that is a brake on Everton progressing into the top 6, never mind winning a trophy.The top teams all own their own training ground and have invested more than Everton on their training facilities.
12/07/2026 01:20:36
Sorry Jerome, been watching England and suffering Lee Dixon, Sam Matterface et al.
Obviously you are an expert on training grounds and elite performance hubs. I am not.
However, I have been watching Everton for 56 years. I can only comment on games, players, seasons, managers etc. Please explain why, when Everton trained at Bellefield, they could be champs and chumps in consecutive seasons. Did Bellefield fail us in 1964 and 1971 or 1988. Jerome, please ask yourself why no other fan on here or TW fixates on Finch Farm,
What has held Everton back is poor recruitment of players and managers. Oh, and awful owners. The Premier League top 6 is a cartel — Newcastle are the richest but cannot spend like the chosen few.
You say the clubs who have the best facilities are the only ones who can win trophies but since our last trophy the following clubs have won cups: Portsmouth, Wigan, Leicester, Birmingham, Swansea and even Middlesborough. Since '95 we have won zilch.
Did we beat Man Utd because we had better facilities? No! We won because we scored they didn;t.
Anyway, I give up now. No further comment from me on this subject.
12/07/2026 05:34:50
Philip, you're right that recruitment and ownership have hurt us most,but our infrastructure has been neglected too. Selling Bellefield for housing in 2007 and barely reinvesting the proceeds is a prime example. That's not wishful thinking; it's a structural weakness we've carried for years.
Whether the docks ever host a hub is uncertain ,and you're probably right that the council prioritises hotels and housing over grass pitches—but the need to upgrade our facilities is real. Finch Farm is decent, but it's not elite. Fix the squad and it's management first, absolutely, but don't ignore the infrastructure gap either.This is a glaring test of TFG's ambition. That is why I pushed the boat out in this article.Appreciate your honesty, Philip
12/07/2026 07:04:08
Jerome, I think buying Finch Farm is in itself a great idea. The sum needed is low I think, and would pay for itself in saved rent over a short period of time.
For me, other investment in infrastructure would be better served adding to what is already at BMD, or redeveloping the Goodison footprint into a revenue stream.
The area around Goodison would need a boast, as David @2 mentioned, now that we have moved out. The council/city would be more inclined to support the club if we were prepared to invest in the area. The question is though, what would we repurpose the Goodison footprint to?
12/07/2026 13:27:12
A nice thought, Jerome, but I fear there are significant planning and financial impediments.
From a planning standpoint, the land already has outline consent for a housing-led, mixed use scheme, having been allocated for such in the Local Plan. It is a key component of the emerging Mayoral Development Corporation's ambitions for more housing, too. The annual rateable income from housing on such a large site will run into the low millions.
The likelihood, therefore, of a change of use from high value, high density, socially and economically beneficial activities (housing and employment) to a low density and comparatively lower value use (training pitches) seems slim to me.
Then there's the land price. Buying more agricultural land next door to Finch Farm to expand the facilities would cost around £45,000 an acre with consent in place for training infrastructure. Everton paid more than £1m an acre for Bramley Moore and the current figure would be closer to £1.5m, taking into account that the land owners would seek current residential values. At roughly 60 acres, that's £90m, compared to £2.7m for land on the edge of Halewood.
But here's the rub: turning the Central Docks into a training facility would contravene land owner Peel's vision for the emerging neighbourhood - and I'm not sure that they have the spare acreage, regardless. They are currently spending £71m constructing a new park to the south of the stadium, to include serviced land plots for sale to housing developers. Taking that into consideration, there's only around 50 acres left, much of it including listed masonry and dockland structures, plus an awful lot of water. The engineering costs alone to convert it would be huge.
For me, an extension to Finch Farm is both more logical and financially more viable - never mind a whole deal easier and quicker from a planning standpoint. And if it gives us the infrastructure that helps the club develop home-grown talent and win trophies, then it gets my vote.
12/07/2026 14:11:58
John the £17m fixed‑price option comes up every five years, and that previous regimes have consistently passed on it. I agree it seems a good option. But there's important backstory:
· Origin: Everton bought the land for £2.1m in 2006, then immediately sold it to developer ROM Capital and leased it back on a 50‑year lease. As part of that deal, the club secured a five‑yearly option to repurchase at a fixed price.
· Change of ownership: In 2013, ROM Capital went into administration, and Liverpool City Council bought Finch Farm for £13m, signing a new 40‑year lease with the club. That likely altered the terms of the original £17m buyback clause, the option may no longer be as straightforward as it once was.
· Why no one took it up: Finch Farm sits on green‑belt land in Knowsley, meaning any significant expansion or redevelopment is heavily restricted by planning law. Spending £17m in cash (when the club was chronically cash‑strapped) to buy an asset that can't be easily upgraded or developed was never a sensible use of funds.
As Tony Abrahams suggested from his memory around the time Bellfield was sold, it was presented as progress – a modern, state‑of‑the‑art facility to replace the outdated West Derby training complex. But in hindsight, it was asset‑stripping that locked the club into a rental model without building equity. The sale of the freehold and the leaseback arrangement compounded the problem, leaving Everton paying rent on its own training ground while the council held the title.
The £4m council loan from Knowsley in 2016, granted for a new pitch, a rehabilitation centre, and other training facilities. That proves my point: even without owning the land, there was a desperate need for infrastructure upgrades – but they were funded piecemeal, not as part of a coherent long‑term strategy. A future where Finch Farm would become a true hub, with education facilities integrated, allowing young players to be "totally immersed, in both football and education". That vision, however, was always hampered by the underlying ownership question.
Paul the Esk (among others) flagged this years ago: Everton's training ground, while functional, lagged behind those of peer clubs. The loan was a sticking‑plaster solution, not a cure. Infrastructure is just as critical as management and recruitment( as Philip pointed out). It's the foundation on which on‑pitch success is built.
The mention of the "Goodison option" is likely a reference to the redevelopment plans for Goodison Park after Bramley‑Moore Dock is completed. With Everton Women set to move into Goodison in 2025/26, the club and the council are actively discussing future uses – housing, commercial space, or a community hub. That's a separate but parallel conversation about how the club's real‑estate assets can be leveraged for long‑term value. It's all part of the same puzzle: Everton has historically treated property as a burden, not an opportunity.
12/07/2026 14:47:45
Dougal, I appreciate the financial rigour you bring, but I believe you have dismissed the Central Docks proposal too quickly, based on a set of assumptions. Let me re‑frame the argument with the critical details that change the equation entirely.
First, the Finch Farm expansion option is not the safety net you assume it to be. That consent is only available until the end of this year, as it sits on a five‑year option cycle that is about to lapse. Previous regimes have waived this option repeatedly, and despite all their public rhetoric, TFG have not raised a murmur about triggering it. If we let that deadline pass, we lose the ability to expand on that site for another half‑decade.Also Dougal Finch Farm is in a green belt and Knowsley Council like their green belt.
Second, my article explicitly advocates a hybrid solution, not a wholesale relocation.I actually see purchasing Finch Farm as part of the hybrid Solution.. I am not suggesting we bulldoze Finch Farm and move everything to the docks. Instead, I propose using the waterfront site for a high‑profile, elite first‑team facility—leveraging the commercial and media visibility of the city centre—while retaining the academy and age‑group infrastructure at Finch Farm on a retained or downsized footprint. That splits operational risk, protects our existing investment, and gives the first team a destination training base that aids recruitment and brand presence.A complete new site would cost £200 million plus.
Third, the planning obstacles you cite are not as immovable as you suggest. It is true that the land has outline consent for housing, but the North Liverpool Dock development plan is currently in a consultation phase,it is not a fixed, baked‑in legal statute. The Mayoral Development Corporation has been set up specifically to facilitate interested parties and accelerate development, not to police a rigid masterplan. The housing preferences you refer to are suggested guidelines, not finalised binding consents, and the MDC’s remit is to bring forward viable regeneration. A multi‑million‑pound training hub with year‑round economic activity fits that brief far more creatively than yet another block of flats that competes with existing stock.As for Peel Group they will look seriously at any idea backed by money.
Finally, let us be honest about the financial comparison. Yes, the dockside land is roughly £90m, and that is a stark contrast to the £2.7m agricultural value at Halewood. ( Green belt ssise) But that comparison ignores the cost of doing nothing: if we fail to trigger the Finch Farm option by December, we are left with no expansion space, no new infrastructure, and a squad training on cramped pitches while our rivals expand. Paying a premium for a landmark, shovel‑ready city‑centre site adjacent to Peel’s existing infrastructure investment, is an asset play, not a sunk cost. I am not arguing this is the cheaper route; I am arguing it is the strategic one, and the only approach that gives us leverage. We should trigger the Finch Farm option now as a fallback, if TFG will move, but simultaneously enter the MDC consultation process with Peel to test a phased, hybrid dockside deal.
If we ignore the docks while our only other option quietly expires, that is the truly reckless path.
12/07/2026 15:16:21
Wasn't aware of the option on Finch Farm, Jerome - and I wonder what lies behind TFG's reticence to exercise it?
Point taken re: the hybrid option, but I'm still of the view that the size of any land 'take' will be key to whether it fits with the Mayor's aspirations as much as Peel's.
Everton are on record as having approached Peel to discuss purchasing Nelson Dock (cf. comments by Colin Chong), but I understand that those discussions have slowed down. The downside to TFG's lack of commentary on all things Everton is that it leaves a vacuum which we all fill with speculation!
12/07/2026 16:41:07
Dougal, Finch Farm reticence does make you wonder and the reason behind is probably the deciding factor.It looks as if Tony's on the ground hunch regarding Finch Farm expressed over years may well be right
I wasn't aware of the update on Nelson Dock, whose development tied in with Everton's anchor tennant status and as a driver of the wider project.
I agree that the lack of communication by TFG does lead to speculation. Over the years I have seen Evertonians expectations drive decisions and a need to offer explanations or do something by the Club.
12/07/2026 17:03:17
I would have thought the reticence re Finch Farm is probably more a case of it being quite a long way down a long list of priorities.
Once the vitally important revenue position is materially improved, we might take up the option.
Unlikely to be considered a short term priority.
12/07/2026 17:05:24
There is something special, almost awe inspiring about having a training faciity in the shadow of the stadium.
Filling in the Nelson Dock presents opportunity & also the chance to build a mini stadium for the academy, U23's & female teams with Goodison finally being sold off.
12/07/2026 18:03:24
Before they make it easier for the training ground staff to get to HDS, I would like them to make it easier for the fans to get there.
12/07/2026 20:26:37
Danny#16
It would be ideal if possible.TFG are bound to have a long term vision.As Robert says it may take longer or even TFG are playing the long game as the Anchor in the whole development.
14/07/2026 12:19:35
Interesting ideas, Jerome, but as we know public transport to the area is limited and got to think of the players getting to and from training. Don't think the players would be too keen on the walk back up to Sandhills.
Seriously, though, I think a lot of our players live in Manchester/Cheshire, find motorway access to Finch Farm quite easy and wouldn't fancy crawling along Edge Lane Drive every morning. Would be a lot of fines for training, I suspect.
As for Finch Farm itself, I have not kept up with ownership issues there, but I do know there was a supporter initiative to try and buy the training ground before it was sold to the council. I had meant to post that on Dougal's recent article, but have had other things on and been trying to have an "Everton break".
15/07/2026 13:45:27
We need to seriously address the structure of Finch Farm & how it is run. Quite simply put, it is obsolete &
not fit for purpose.
The coaching techniques & youth devolopment are inadequate & need overhauling.
How we don't produce more players from the academyis beyond me. We've only ever produced one truely world class player in Wayne Rooney. Other than that all we have been drip fed a number of false dawns. Ross Barkley & Tom Davies spring to mind. There are probably more.
It is a travesty that I such a rich talent pool such as Merseyside we don't have the youth pipeline coming through. This is compounded with Moyes' well reluctance & suspicion of trusting youth. They simply go elsewhere, where they know they have a chance.
19/07/2026 07:11:53
Danny#20
The problem is infrastructural and the fact it was a White elephant from the start as the aim was to asset strip rather than build for the future. Since it has opened £4 million as been spent on necessity updates, but it all pales in significance compared to other Premier Leagues Clubs spending millions more ( even Ipswich are ahead ) and the top ones who all own their training grounds.
From the start this has developed a insular culture of survival as the Club as gone through financial mismanagement of every colour and numerous Managers , and there has never been the infrastructure to progress anyway. It has just been about survival in the Premier League and keeping jobs, being more patronage than effectivess.Just geared to one competition after Xmas.
It really is one of the main issues facing TFG and Everton's future.
22/07/2026 20:14:58
Manchester City complex is the ideal model.
The facilities are second to none.
Unbelievable set up that draws the young players at the start of their journey.
Also the commercial benefits to the area would be more than welcome
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11/07/2026 04:33:47
Thank you Jerome.
One setup that I admired is Barcelona's Mini Estadi: 15000 seated and situated right across the street from Nou Camp. It is the home of their B Team (the reserves that competed lower in the Spanish Football Pyramid) and whenever a youth player is promoted from the B Team to the First Team, teammates will carry the player from Mini Estadi to Nou Camp as a Baptism and Celebration.
Fingers crossed that one day we shall have our own Mini Estadi and ritual on the River Mersey banks.