Everton decides to let women’s soccer team move into its century-old stadium
Starting in 2025, England’s long-established club Everton has made an important decision: to hand over Goodison Park, its home stadium for 132 years, to its women’s soccer team. This is not only the first time in the club’s history that it has designated a top-level venue for women’s soccer, but it may also be an important change for the entire British soccer world.
Goodison Park is one of England’s most famous football stadiums, having hosted matches since 1892 and witnessed countless memorable moments. In the past, it has always been the home ground for Everton’s men’s team. However, in 2025, the men’s team will move to a new venue, leaving the old stadium vacant.
After careful consideration, the club’s management decided to use the venue to support their women’s team.
This means that starting next season, Everton Women will play their matches at a stadium with a capacity of 40,000 spectators, which is a very high standard in the English women’s league.
Previously, Everton Women’s matches were played at a much smaller stadium with a capacity of only 2,200. The move to a larger stadium will not only allow more fans to watch the games in person but also enhance the team’s overall image and influence.
Club CEO Angus Kinnear stated that they consulted with other clubs, particularly Roma in Italy, before making this decision. They plan to make minor renovations to Goodison Park, such as improving the media area and spectator facilities, to ensure it meets the requirements for professional women’s football matches. The stadium will also continue to host youth team matches, maintaining its important role in the Liverpool football community.
For Everton Women, this news is undoubtedly a welcome development. Team captain Megan Finnegan expressed that playing at Goodison Park is an honor. She recalled the excitement she felt the first time she stepped onto the pitch, a feeling that remains vivid to this day.
In fact, it’s not just Everton, but women’s football in England as a whole that has been developing rapidly in recent years. Data shows that in the past five years, attendance at the Women’s Super League has increased by more than 400%. More and more people are willing to pay to watch women’s football matches, which shows that the sport is becoming increasingly popular.
Experts believe that it is a smart move for traditional clubs like Everton to hand over their unused home grounds to women’s football.
This is because women’s football needs better facilities, and many men’s clubs have unused stadiums that can be utilized. If this model proves successful, it may be replicated by other clubs.
Of course, there are still some issues that need to be resolved. For example, maintaining such a large stadium is expensive, and attracting enough spectators to the games is also a challenge. However, Everton has promised that it will ensure the long-term operation of the project through commercial partnerships and community activities.
In a few months, in September this year, Everton Women will play their first home game at Goodison Park. This marks the biggest functional transformation of the century-old stadium since the installation of lighting equipment in the last century.
It can be said that this change is not only about providing women’s football with a better playing field, but also an important step forward for the entire football industry toward greater fairness and diversity.
