Goodison Park, which will host the final match for the men’s team this Sunday, is set to be the new home for Everton Women from next season, the club officially announced on Tuesday.
The Grand Old Lady was the first purpose-built ground in English football. Having hosted the men’s team for 133 years, Goodison Park with a capacity of 39,572, will now become the most iconic venue in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
The decision was taken by the Friedkin Group following their takeover of the club last December. Everton had launched a special project called the Goodison Legacy project in 2020 to determine the future of the ground. After an in-depth review of the project, the Blues’ American owners decided to retain the services of Goodison Park instead of demolishing the site.
With the men’s team moving to the new 52,888-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season, Everton Women will relocate to Goodison at the beginning of the 2025/26 season. It will also bring considerable exposure to the women’s team, who had been playing at Walton Hall Park until now.
The Walton Hall Park has a capacity of 2,200, but only 500 of those spots are seated. The pitch is also a hybrid of real and artificial grass.
“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. From next season, we are proud to say our women will have an unrivalled permanent home in the WSL – another statement of intent as we look to build the foundations that will help us challenge for trophies,” said newly-appointed CEO of Everton, Angus Kinnear.
“The women’s game has grown significantly in recent years, and we believe that growth will continue and accelerate. We’re under no illusions; there are obstacles we need to overcome to make this a success both practically and economically, but we’re confident that we will overcome those challenges. The value of investing in the women’s game has been demonstrated by our ownership group at AS Roma, with impressive results on the pitch. We believe Everton Women can emulate that success and go even further, with one of the most revered grounds in the history of the game as their permanent home.”
The Everton women’s team, winners of the league title in 1998 and two domestic cups in the late 2010s, had faded under the ownership of Farhad Moshiri. Their highest league position was fifth during Moshiri’s time at the club, and they finished eighth this season under head coach Brian Sorensen, who recently signed a new deal.
Further enhancements will also be made to Goodison over time to ensure that adequate infrastructure is in place to continue using the stadium at the start of next season. The relocation will also generate economic opportunities for local businesses through matchday footfall.
It is also set to host a few academy matches every season, while Walton Hall Park will continue to serve grassroots, community, and development programmes for women’s and girls’ football.