Goodison Park is to become the home of Everton’s women after the club scrapped plans to demolish the 132-year-old stadium.
The Blues will move to their new 53,000-seater arena at Bramley-Moore Dock this summer.
During construction of the new facility on the Liverpool waterfront, Everton’s previous ownership group announced plans for an £82m post-demolition renovation project at the Goodison site, which was set to include housing, a care home, retail units and a park.
But after being taken over by private equity firm The Friedkin Group in December, the club conducted a feasibility study about maintaining the stadium as a home for the women’s team, and have now opted to continue operating the site.
With a capacity of 39,572, Goodison Park will now be the largest dedicated women’s football stadium in the country.
“Goodison will remain a central part of Liverpool’s sporting and cultural identity,” Everton said in a statement. “The relocation will also generate economic opportunities for local businesses through matchday footfall.”
“The ambition is to create a team capable of challenging for honours – backed by high-quality facilities and a world-renowned home.”
The club’s CEO Angus Kinnear added: “”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.”
