Goodison Park

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Key facts

Club: Everton FC | Opening: 1892 | Capacity: 40,157 seats

History and description

Goodison Park officially opened on the 24th of August 1892 with an athletics event. The first match, between Everton and Bolton (4-2), was played 9 days later. Everton had previously played at Anfield, but a dispute over the rent drove them out.

Goodison Park initially consisted of one covered seating stand, two uncovered terraces, and a running track. In 1894, it hosted its first FA Cup final. Notts County beat Bolton in front of a 37,000 crowd.

The stadium got quickly developed in the early 20th century, first with the construction of a double-decker stand at the Park End in 1907, and next with the large Goodison Road Stand in 1909. The running track was also removed.

The new double-decker Goodison Road Stand had been designed by Archibald Leitch. At that time, Goodison Park was considered the best ground in Britain.

Archibald Leitch also designed the next two new stands of the ground. The first was the new Bullens Road Stand in 1926 and the second the new Gwladys Street End in 1938. All stands were two-tiered.

On the 18th of December 1948, Goodison Park recorded its highest attendance in a match between Everton and Liverpool. A total of 78,299 supporters visited the match.

Goodison Park was one of the playing venues of the 1966 World Cup, during which it hosted three group matches, the quarter-final between Portugal and North Korea (5-3), and the semi-final between Germany and the Soviet Union (2-1).

The stadium remained largely unchanged until in 1971 a new three-tiered main stand was built in place of the Goodison Road Stand. At that time the stadium could hold about 55,000 fans, slightly less than half seated.

In the 1990s, following the Hillsborough disaster and Taylor report, Goodison Park got converted into an all-seater stadium, which reduced capacity significantly. In 1994, the last major development took place when a new stand got built at the Park End.

In the last decade, Everton has been actively pursuing a move to a new stadium, first at King’s Dock and later in the Kirkby area, but both times plans fell through and no concrete plans exist at the moment.

(photos of the present Goodison Park below)

Getting there

Goodison Park is located about 2.5 miles north-east of Liverpool’s city centre and Lime Street train station. It lies only a short walk away from Anfield, home of rivals Liverpool.

If arriving by car from the M57 (which runs east of Liverpool), take junction 4 and turn onto East Lancashire Road (A580) in the direction of the city. Follow the road for about 4 miles (after Queens Drive it changes into Walton Lane) until you see Stanley Park on your left and the stadium on your right.

Rail station Kirkdale is an approximate 20-minute walk away from the ground. The station is served by regular trains from Liverpool Central Station. The journey takes slightly less than 10 minutes.

Alternatively, one can take bus 19/19A, 20 or 21 from Queen Square Bus Station (almost opposite Lime Street rail station), or line 311 and 350/351 from Sir Thomas Street (in the city centre).

On matchdays Everton runs shuttle buses from Sandhills Rail Station (north of the centre) to Goodison Park.

Address: Goodison Park, Liverpool, L4 4EL

Eat, drink, and sleep

Goodison Park is located in a quiet residential area, and is bordered by St Luke’s Church and Stanley Park. On the other side of Stanley Park, just half a mile away, lies Anfield.

While there are a few pubs in the vicinity of the stadium for pre-match drinking, there are many more options in Liverpool’s city centre. Most of the nightlife is situated south and west of Liverpool Lime Street station (e.g. Concert Square and Mathew Street) and around the Albert Dock.

If you wish to stay as close as possible to Goodison Park, then either Hotelanfield or Epstein House are good options. They both get good reviews, though the latter is somewhat cheaper. The Throstles Nest Hotel is another good option, and located exactly in between the stadium and the city centre (both just at walking distance). The Knowsley B&B is a more basic alternative close to Bank Hall station. For all hotels near Goodison Park click here.

If you plan to spend more time in Liverpool, it will likely be more convenient to pick a hotel closer to the city centre, where there are many options.

Tickets

Tickets for Everton games can be bought online, by phone +44 (0) 871 663 1878, or at the Box Office at Goodison Park.

The Box Office is also opened on matchdays until kick-off. Everton sell out very few matches, on average only one to three a season.

Everton has divided their home matches in four pricing categories, though most matches fall into the cheapest category D. These tickets range in price from £32.00 to £38.00.

Tickets for category C matches cost £3.00 more, those for category B matches £4.00 more, and those for the Liverpool derby, the only category A match, £5.00 more.

For more information call +44 (0) 871 663 1878 or email customer.contactcentre@evertonfc.com.

Attendances

Stadium tours

Everton organises guided stadium tours that include visits to the dressing rooms and players tunnel. Tours last about 75 minutes.

Tours run on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. There are no tours on matchdays or the afternoon before a match.

Booking is strongly advised and can be done by phone +44 (0) 151 530 5212, or email stadiumtour@evertonfc.com. The tours costs £8.50.

Photos

Relevant Internet links

Evertonfc.com – Official website of Everton FC.
Visitliverpool.com – Liverpool tourist information.
Merseytravel.gov.uk – Public transport travel information for the Merseyside area.
Nationalrail.co.uk – Check train times and fares.