ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

BALLOT RESULT

BALLOT RESULT Published: Friday, 24 August 2007, 10:00

A statement from Everton Football Club - August 24, 2007

Everton Football Club acknowledges that a majority of those Evertonians who were eligible to vote in the ballot do support the Club in its desire to relocate to a new home in Kirkby.

We are the only major club in Europe to have handed over a decision of such importance and magnitude to its fan-base ? something which simply serves to underscore the enormously high regard in which we hold our supporters.

We now have a mandate to carry on negotiations with our two project partners ? Knowsley Borough Council and Tesco.

The Club?s Board of Directors, the management staff and the players would like to thank all those who participated in the ballot.

We would also like to thank the Electoral Reform Services who ran the ballot on our behalf in a diligent and wholly professional manner.

Whilst we concede that the proposed move has undoubtedly provoked a heated and sustained debate, it is reassuring to know that the majority of Evertonians do support the Club as it pursues its long-held desire to provide a world-class stadium for its world-class support.

The result comes at the end of a transparent, democratic process and we believe that now is the time for all supporters of Everton Football Club to set aside any differences of opinion and unite for the common good.

The simple truth is, we all want the same thing ? a thriving, ambitious and prosperous club away from the field of play and an attractive, competitive team on it.

Number of voting packs dispatched 36,662
Number of votes received 25,761
Number of votes found to be invalid 63
Total number of valid votes 25,698
Turnout 70.27%

Based on the foregoing information, the Board is inclined to pursue the building of a new stadium in Kirkby.

The Board promised to ballot Evertonians to ascertain their views on this move.

The question is: Are you in favour of relocating Everton Football Club to Kirkby?

The Result

Yes 15,230 59.27%
NO 10,468 40.73%

Brian Baker, Aldershot Posted 24/08/2007 at 11:01:44

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Comments

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Richard Dodd
1 Posted 24/08/2007 at 10:51:08

What a great day to be an Evertonian. A fabulous new stadium in prospect and £20M of new talent about to be announced. Congratulations to Blue Bill, Keith and Davey on fulfilling their promise to take Everton to the next level. Just so hope we can all pull together now as we move into very exciting times.

Steve Syder
2 Posted 24/08/2007 at 10:56:48

Let me say it before KEIOC and Colin Fitz do - fewer than 50% of those eligible to vote voted in favour of a move.

Yeah, yeah. Get over it!

Harry Keogh
3 Posted 24/08/2007 at 11:00:03

Idiots.

Steve Smith
4 Posted 24/08/2007 at 10:56:56

"it is reassuring to know that the majority of Evertonians do support the Club as it pursues its long-held desire to provide a world-class stadium for its world-class support." Is the suggestion here that if you voted no you are obviously stupid and do not support the club and want whats best for it? I just think they could have worded it better.

Paul O'Hanlon
5 Posted 24/08/2007 at 10:56:01

10,000 people didn't vote? Gimme a break! There's no way that many Evertonians wouldn't bother voting on the most important issue in the clubs history. I can understand a few hundred, maybe even a thousand, but over 10,000??? No way... something's not right there.

Alan, Dublin.
6 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:26:41

Great news and time to move on.
Let’s please hear no more of the "what of the 40% who voted no?".
COYB.

Ste
7 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:26:10

"Fabulous new stadium" Where??? I havent seen it yet. All I have seen is a drawing of a 2nd rate, bog standard, straight out of a box stadium. The only truth in your statement is that it will be NEW, hardly fabulous. Or have our standards dropped that low. Well according to 59% of you, it looks like they have.

Phil Spencer
8 Posted 24/08/2007 at 11:08:39

I am surprised we got a vote but not surprised by the outcome.

Lets now concentrate on Saturdays match and get behind the team, we owe it to them and they owe it to us. Lets hope with the signings we have made its a move forward and we are watching a team we can be proud of hopefully in a stadium we can be proud of, it will always be EVERTON!

Toffee
9 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:26:46

RIP EFC - 1878 -2007

"it was a grand old team to play for, a grand old team to support"

Something stinks and its that corrupt fucker wyness!

10,000 voters refused to votes yes because they didnt want it on thier conscience!

WHY NOT VOTE FUCKING NO THEN!!!!

John Richardson
10 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:25:58

Give it a rest, Paul. 10,000 is hardly surprising. While it was a massive decision for most fans, I do know a lot who really couldn’t care less. A few Evertonian pals have pointed out that they support Everton, not Goodison or Tesco, and will keep supporting Everton wherever they play their games.

Many of those who didn’t vote will also have had bigger issues to contend with - this invariably happens when there is a poll of this nature. I think 70 per cent is mighty impressive - bare in mind the fact that only 60 per cent bothered to vote on who runs the country a couple of years ago.

Jon Sellick
11 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:14:18

We are going to Kirkby. Let's move on. Let's not get involved in childish squabbles about acceptable sizes of the margin. We are all Blues, let's get down to Goodison tomorrow, support the team and get behind the club. Letting this thing rumble on won't achieve anything. We move on.

dgf
12 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:36:09

The Norther Ireland peace agreement only got 71% voting and the Scottish Parliament refendum just over 50%
I think 70 per cent is a very impressive return.
I said earlier this week the total return would be around 70% and quite a few people doubted it.

markus walker
13 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:25:39

delighted the result has come back yes. this is a great day in the history of everton football club! the supporters saw sense in the end. i can't tell you haw superb this news is! delighted from southport!!!

Marc R
14 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:34:42

I think you’ll find it matters a lot more to most fans than who runs the country. If almost 1 in 3 people chose not to vote then let’s hear from them, so far I have only heard colin fitz say that he abstained. I reckon if any fans didnt vote its because they saw through the shit and knew the vote would be ayes anyway? If not lets hear your reasons.

Richard Harris
15 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:36:02

and we’ll hang the kopites one by one by the bottle banks of tesco kirkby

Robin Cannon
16 Posted 24/08/2007 at 12:45:29

In response to Marc R - I abstained because I felt either vote removed options. Technically a yes vote shouldn’t actually remove options, because it should allow for a wider consultation as well, but obviously that won’t be the case. A no vote kills Kirkby dead and puts Everton entirely in the hands of an LCC who’ve shown neither the desire nor the competence to genuinely help out the club in terms of searching for an alternative within the Liverpool city limits.

So I abstained because I genuinely didn’t support the consequences of either a yes or a no vote.

craig taylor
17 Posted 24/08/2007 at 13:03:18

it doesnt matter that fewer than 50% of those eligible to vote voted in favour of a move. those that didnt vote obviosly didnt give a shit either way otherwise they would have made more of an effort.

Brilliant news for a club going forward. A beautiful new stadium to go with a European team with young world class players.

The future is bright.

I can understand why people who voted No or would have done if eligable are upset. But I think that whats done is done. Its time to move on. Above all we are still Everton FC, and a new stadium (though not quite in the right place for you) is a brilliant thing for the future of the club.

Lee Mather
18 Posted 24/08/2007 at 13:01:54

I didn’t get a vote (Being from Derbyshire and all) but I would have abstained, I don’t think many people can deny staying at Goodison isn’t a viable long term option, people with far more knowledge on the subject than I have had this point many times before.

I’d like a shiny new stadium too, with lasers and fireworks! It’s just I’d prefer one in the city, with decent transport links and stuff all the benefits have been covered before, I don’t want to cover "old ground..." ha-ha

...

I saw it a vote between a kick in the balls and a kick in the teeth, I didn’t want either ended up with both - such is life