Michael Kenrick 08/06/2026 37comments  |  Jump to last

(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Everton's Chief Revenue Officer, Aaron Duckmanton, is currently directing Everton’s commercial strategy centered around maximizing the financial potential of the club’s new home at Hill Dickinson Stadium, which provides far greater opportunities for creating new income streams compared with Goodison Park.

Duckmanton has been describong the club's appraoch to 

“The changing rules in the way revenues for clubs can be spent on players is well documented, so diversifying the way that we bring in revenue outside of just our 19 home games, or outside of our player trading, is really important.

“We've seen the success of Tottenham and Arsenal and West Ham and Aston Villa who've been able to add events to their calendar and that allows them to grow their revenues. If we can grow our revenues indirectly, that allows us to spend more on the pitch. The whole football events, commercial, revenue, cycle and ecosystem works really well together. So the more we can put in that stadium, the more our revenues grow.”

Before arriving at Hill Dickinson Stadium in March 2025, Duckmanton built an extensive resume driving audience and commercial growth in the sports and digital arenas as Chief Marketing Officer at Crystal Palace, after his previous role as Head of Marketing, Retail, and Digital at Leeds United.

He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Sports Studies from the University of Sunderland and a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Sports Journalism from the University of Lincoln.

“One of the things that people like when they book events is familiarity. There’s a lot of great stadiums in the North-West and there's a lot of competitive stadiums and Premier League stadiums across the UK who are all vying for these major events.

“What we do have is hands down the best stadium in the UK, if not in Europe. So one of the challenges has been getting people up, getting them to understand what the venue offers, the experience that we can deliver both in terms of the on-pitch, in-venue experience, but also our food and beverage, our hospitality, our plaza, our access.

“So it's been a challenge to get everyone up to see it, to understand it, but once we've had the right rights holders, the right people from various federations or event programs and organisations come up, it's been a pretty easy sell once they've seen it, what they could do with the venue. They've loved it. There's nobody who can walk around that stadium and say its accessibility, its experience, our food and beverage delivery isn't best in class.

“The programme already confirmed for this summer shows the scale of what is possible at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but our ambition does not stop there...

“We are already working on plans for summer 2027 and 2028, including live music events, as we continue to build a calendar that makes full use of the stadium, the waterfront setting, and the spaces around it.

“The aim is to keep adding new reasons for people to visit Hill Dickinson Stadium outside of Everton matchdays, and to establish it as one of the most exciting venues for major events in the UK.”

 

Quotes sourced from Liverpool Echo

Reader Comments (37)

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Mark Ryan
1 Posted 08/06/2026 at 14:56:45
Tell Aaron Duckmanton to look at the possibility of liaising with Sky Sports and to try asking them the drone shots of The Hill Dickinson Stadium whenever we are on the TV.

They always use drone footage filming the stadium from a southern aspect but if they filmed us from the north you could incorporate some nice shots of the waterfront, the 3 Grace's and Liverpool by night.

It just puts the ground in a better perspective and would be more appealing to those who have never been before.
Dave Abrahams
2 Posted 08/06/2026 at 14:57:30
I think that is a brilliant plan, keep adding more and more events getting loads of dosh in and the football which really doesn’t count can go back to be played at Goodison Park!
Steve Brown
3 Posted 08/06/2026 at 15:02:31
Top stadium for any event that doesn’t involve watching Everton.
Michael Kenrick
4 Posted 08/06/2026 at 15:33:57
Mark @1,

Is it done to avoid showing the north-adjacent sewage works?

Mind, I don't seem to have read too many complaints about the smell... maybe the lovely Santa Anna winds blowing in off the Irish Sea carry them away to less sensitive areas of the city?
Alan J Thompson
5 Posted 08/06/2026 at 17:22:51
Apart from the bloke we got from Man Utd to help run the Academy, did we leave anyone behind at Leeds?
David West
6 Posted 08/06/2026 at 18:30:53
Saturday or Sunday away games screened at the stadium would be a good idea. I always thought every club should offer this.

Once 1 live music event is held there, it becomes easier to attract others, the proximity to town is better than the red shites, the access and food offerings better, the modern building must work out cheaper to actually put the event on too.

I don't see why we are not having some music events this summer? Boxing?? MEN and Co-Op should be our competition for the big fights now.

Lots to be done to maximise the opportunity still.
Derek Knox
7 Posted 08/06/2026 at 20:58:09
Alan @ 5,

Yes, thankfully... Jack Harrison!

What a Jodrell Banker?
Mike Gaynes
8 Posted 08/06/2026 at 23:44:08
Bellew & Calzaghe aren't a singing group?

I thought they were the Merseyside version of Hall & Oates.
Bob Parrington
9 Posted 08/06/2026 at 00:38:13
Good positive plan.

Next in line is to have a really good, positive playing squad, which will help the supporters to be more positive about the present and the future!
Don Alexander
10 Posted 08/06/2026 at 01:02:06
Another in the Leeds Utd enclave now employed by us.

Given the paucity of goal-scorers recruited under Kinnear's alleged top-dog status (Moyes disagreeing of course) I just wonder if any of them sanctioned the free-transfer sale of Calvert-Lewin to Leeds, his season notably having been way better than our B&B?
Alan J Thompson
11 Posted 09/06/2026 at 05:26:47
Derek (#7);

We didn't leave him behind -- we sent him back... and I hope you weren't alluding to me being anywhere near Altrincham.
Mark Taylor
12 Posted 09/06/2026 at 09:05:57
Maybe I'm being harsh but I've been pretty underwhelmed by the progress of events at Hill Dickinson Stadium. A women's footie match, an England rugby match against secondary opposition, and some rugby league. I don't think any of these are going to generate huge stadium hire revenues.

True, it's early days but it's been open for over a year and in the planning for close to a decade. Reading the guy's comments closely, it seems they may be finding it harder work than they had hoped. There is indeed an awful lot of competition. This may also be an area where sub-standard transport provision will harm the appeal.

I'd love to understand how much additional revenue the club targets to achieve from the stadium (outside match day and naming rights) but never have I heard anyone cite a number...
Laurie Hartley
13 Posted 09/06/2026 at 09:21:07
Mark # 12,

This may also be an area where sub-standard transport provision will harm the appeal.

That is the elephant in the room.
Andrew Ellams
14 Posted 09/06/2026 at 09:21:13
Mark, what exactly are you expecting to see? Those events have sold over 200,000 tickets between them, that's not a bad share of that revenue for the club inside 12 months.
Si Cooper
15 Posted 09/06/2026 at 09:33:43
“I'd love to understand how much additional revenue the club targets to achieve from the stadium (outside match day and naming rights) but never have I heard anyone cite a number...”

I don’t know about targets but won’t the (much more important) actual results be in the published accounts as it is revenue that needs to support the amount spent on players?

I think people really spend too much time looking for the negative.
Si Cooper
16 Posted 09/06/2026 at 09:41:55
Mark (12) and Laurie (13), you are both assuming the people who attend those standalone (and therefore premium for those interested) will act just like your average STH.

As many are likely to be out of town visitors you might find they actually find the walk to and from the ground part of the experience. As long as they aren’t all looking to leave and head for local transport you may find they will be much less bothered by ‘transport provision’.
Brian Harrison
17 Posted 09/06/2026 at 09:50:51
Well you certainly cant criticize TFG for not maximising income from non footballing events at the stadium.

I would imagine that will increase over time and hopefully some of that revenue created will help the club compete financially in the transfer market. I hope that they sort out better transport infrastructure than currently exists as that may prove a negative for anyone booking it as a concert venue.

I would remind TFG that this is first and foremost a football club with a world class stadium, and not a world class venue for non-footballing events with a football club attached.
Andrew Grey
18 Posted 09/06/2026 at 10:24:52
Michael -4-

The sewage works are actually in most of the shots taken from the south. It's a nice industrial landscape. :)
Paul Hewitt
19 Posted 09/06/2026 at 10:33:27
It's not a football stadium, it's a multiple sports stadium. It's what American owners want.

If it makes the club money. I'm fine with that.
Jay Prendergast
20 Posted 09/06/2026 at 10:52:36
"What we do have is hands down the best stadium in the UK, if not in Europe. So one of the challenges… "

If he'd said one of the best I'd have more respect for his words — it simply isn't the best, which is reinforced by the challenges he mentions.
John Collins
21 Posted 09/06/2026 at 11:06:03
Looks like they are very good at maximising the incoming.
Hopefully they are equally as good spending the outgoing.
It remains to be seen.

My own take on it is they won't spend anywhere near the amount rules allow.
Mark Taylor
22 Posted 09/06/2026 at 14:40:53
Andrew 14

Before I turn to expectations, let us look at what those events are likely to yield. I may need your help here because I don't know the inside detail, hence my making the point.

I understand from AI that it is typically in the region of £200,000 or a bit more to hire a major stadium, then staffing etc added on top (but likely at cost, no serious margin). So these 4 days would be less than £1M on that basis.

Looked at another way, if we allow an average of £40 per ticket sold x 200,000, that is £8M. A 10% stadium fee would thus work out to £800,000. So my guess is around that ballpark.

It is possible the club may have rights to make profit on food, merch etc. But then it is probably unlikely to get the £250k usage fee. Even so, some revenue share might push net revenue over a million. So maybe £1M, or £1.5M at most. These are the only major events of the year I can see.

Now onto expectations. Even at a discounted build cost of £600M and a very optimistic 5% of financing cost, you need an extra £30M to wash your face. £10M can be said to come from naming rights (though the net will be a fair amount less than that).

Matchday revenue might be expected to add another £10M at best. That leaves £10M minimum to find and, in my opinion, more than that. It's a big gap if I'm anywhere near right on these numbers.

I post this not as my attempt to be definitive — I can't be — but for discussion. Maybe I'm miles out.

Of course, the importance of this is we can talk about transfer targets as much as we like but, if we don't get the numbers to work, we can't do them.
Mark Taylor
23 Posted 09/06/2026 at 14:49:56
Si 15

In a way, it comes to the same thing. To buy better players, we need higher revenue. Non football use and the revenues arising was one of the rationales for the build (and I imagine a factor in putting together the admittedly shocking financing for it) The outcome will, as you imply, be what it will be, but I'm still interested in seeing where we are heading before we get there and what expectation were. For example I recall a claim for (I think Deloitte) forecasting £55m in incremental revenue. Can't see that myself, at least not directly and certainly not after you service all the debt, even at reduced rates.

I don't think it is too controversial to say that the financial firepower of any football club goes a long way to influencing your outcome and that hitherto we have been paupers relative to others. I'm interested in how far this is changing to better understand our prospects. I've said before, talking about the squad, who to replace, targets etc, is almost pointless until you go through the first stage of 1) our owners ambitions and 2) what financial muscle we have.
Mike Gaynes
24 Posted 09/06/2026 at 18:37:35
Mark #22:

These are the only major events of the year I can see.

You might want to check the calendar again. The "Betfred Super League Magic Weekend" July 4–5 at Hill Dickinson has something to do with the strange sport in your country known as rugby. Whatever it is, I went on their website and found the event has already sold a record-shattering 75,000 tickets with a month still remaining. Tickets start at £50 and soar from there.

There is also the England vs. Fiji Rugby Union Nations Championship the following week, which I've been led to believe a few people might show up for.

Plus the stadium is hosting watch parties for every England World Cup match. Tickets start at only £10, but do you think attendees might eat and drink a bit? Talk about pure concession revenues flooding in at virtually no overhead cost, this is perfect.

Raise your sights, mate. HD is gonna bring in mucho dinero as time goes on.
John Collins
25 Posted 09/06/2026 at 18:46:45
Mike,

Magic Weekend" July 4–5 at Hill Dickinson has something to do with the strange sport in your country known as rugby

Its very similar to your Merican Football.
Our lads don't wear the crash helmets and body armour yours do.
Mike Gaynes
26 Posted 09/06/2026 at 18:50:56
David #6, music events are revenue-rich, but they also carry significant overhead costs for security, staffing, on-site medical and other elements. And the logistical challenge can be massive to protect the playing surface, which at HDS is less than a year old and still fragile. It can take months to repair the damage if not perfectly protected.

Most stadiums that host major concerts have an entire team in place to handle nothing but that. I'm not at all surprised that TFG haven't gone in for that yet.
Mike Gaynes
27 Posted 09/06/2026 at 18:58:45
Yes, John, but ours throw the ball forward sometimes!

Your lads should try it. Very exciting.
John Collins
28 Posted 09/06/2026 at 19:30:32
So do the lady netball players Mike.
They avoid the crash helmets and body armour though.
Mike Gaynes
29 Posted 09/06/2026 at 23:34:37
WTF is netball??

Every time I think I've heard of every sport there is, something new pops up.
Mark Taylor
30 Posted 09/06/2026 at 23:59:52
Mike 24.

I had all four events you mention in my calculation. Andrew 14 mentioned 200,000 tickets which is for those 4 days. That assumes a near sell out for all and the numbers I gave you. Feel free to dispute them, I'm only guessing. The women's match tonight for example would in my opinion be unlikely to clear us much more than £150k and probably a fair bit less.

I didn't count in the World Cup watching event. That is an extra. It won't raise that much revenue in total but I suspect the margin with be good given that we will surely keep all the food and merch margin so even at £10 a ticket, it might actually be more profitable than all the others.

I've (cautiously) tried to offer some numbers on this, with at least the pretence of some rationale, but if anyone wants to offer a different version of those numbers, that would be welcome.
Eric Myles
31 Posted 09/06/2026 at 00:05:01
Mike #29, you Americans call it basketball. It's a girls game.

In netball though you can't run with the ball, once you receive it one foot has to remain planted.
Eric Myles
32 Posted 09/06/2026 at 00:23:40
Forget about attendances at these events, the organisers / promoters will be paying a fixed fee to the club to rent the facility. Whether there's 20 or 20,000 or 200,000, the club don't care, the organisers receive the ticket revenue.

Catering is outsourced so again, the club receive a rent, the caterers receive the sales revenue.

England fixtures are a different matter if it's the club promoting the event and they may even make a deal with the caterers for a percentage of the sales revenue.
Mike Gaynes
33 Posted 10/06/2026 at 02:10:58
Eric #32, you're making a blanket statement there that simply may not be true.

In the US at least, each event is negotiated, and those negotiations often include revenue sharing for the venue. It's not just flat rent every time.

The stadium may keep a percentage of the gate receipts gross, or a percentage above a certain attendance figure.

The same is often true of concessions, so the assumption that the caterer pays a flat fee and then hoovers up all the food and drink revenue is not necessarily true either.

And quite often the stadium will collect on hospitality suites, parking and merchandise sales as well.

We won't see numbers on these deals until TFG releases its next annual financial report.
Eric Myles
34 Posted 10/06/2026 at 02:25:35
I hope you're right Mike and that UK follows the Americal model...

But I think most additional revenue will come from new sponsorship deals.
Paul Griffiths
35 Posted 10/06/2026 at 04:55:19
Common sense surely, TFG would not allow other 'events' if they did not make a bumper crop from them.

That's why they bought the stadium, sorry club, in the first place.
Michael Kenrick
36 Posted 10/06/2026 at 08:04:08
England Women 3-0 Ukraine Women

Hill Dickinson Stadium. Attendance: 26,065

Not too bad, I suppose.
Mark Taylor
37 Posted 10/06/2026 at 13:48:26
Michael 36

Then I'll re-assess my earlier guess that we might make up to £150k on this. Given the ticket prices were, I think £20 for adults and £10 for kids- and a lot of kids were there- I think we'd be lucky to clear £30k. If we ran the catering and can book that as revenue (unlikely) that would make a big difference and maybe get it over 100k.

But it is really small beer for what is one of 4 events this summer. Granted I think the other 3 will make a lot more but even so.

If I'm fairly close on my numbers of maybe £2, revenue for all of them (and that looks optimistic to me, but I may be wrong) then the new rules, very roughly, will allow us to buy a player for c £4m on a 5 year contract at £40k per week. Sobering

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