How Everton Women saved Goodison Park from being demolished | OneFootball

Everton Women have saved Goodison Park from being demolished, with the Toffees moving into the stadium as the men’s team move on to a new ground.

Toffees leave historic Goodison Park

At the end of the 2024-25 Premier League season, it was confirmed that Everton’s men’s side would be leaving Goodison Park after a historic 133 years in the ground.

The Toffees have been building their new home, Hill Dickinson Stadium, for the past three years and finally they are ready to move in from next season.

Hill Dickinson Stadium is a considerable upgrade on the dated Goodison Park and with a capacity of 52,888, over 10,000 more fans will be able to watch on a matchday.

One thing that the new stadium won’t have is any history, which makes it even more of shame that Goodison Park was set to be wiped out entirely.

The initial plan from the club was to have Goodison Park demolished following the 2024-25 season, however a much more peaceful resolution has been found this summer to the relief of the fanbase.

Everton Women prevent demolition job

It has now been confirmed that Everton Women will move into Goodison Park from next season, meaning that they will have the second largest home ground in the Women’s Super League (WSL).

Everton CEO Angus Kinnear said: “We know how treasured Goodison is, not only to every Evertonian, but to the game itself, and being able to keep such an iconic stadium at the heart of the legacy project is something that has been incredibly important to us.

“The women’s game has grown significantly in recent years, and we believe that growth will continue and accelerate.”

Everton aren’t the only ones playing in the men’s stadium from next season, as Arsenal Women also announced that they will host all of their WSL home games at the Emirates Stadium next year.

While Goodison Park currently has a capacity of 39,572, the team plans on reducing the size of the stadium slightly to accommodate the new team.

A conceptual image of what Goodison Park could look like on a matchday next season – (Everton FC)

Regardless of how much they reduce the stadium size, Everton Women will be playing in front of significantly more fans than they are used to at their 2,200-capacity home ground Walton Hall Park.

Everton averaged 1,956 fans per game last season, which ranks them 10th in the league’s average attendance for clubs through the 2024-25 campaign.