BBC_Audio_Murder_They_Wrote_with_Laura_Whitmore_and_Iain_Stirling.txt
Everton_women_ready_to_call_magic_place_Goodison_Park_home_-_BBC_Sport.txt
'It's ours' - Everton women ready to call Goodison homeImage source,quina 1414 PA MediaImage caption, Goodison Park will be the largest dedicated women's stadium in the countryByElizabeth BotcherbyBBC Sport journalistPublished12 September 2025224 CommentsWomen's Super League: Everton v Tottenham HotspurVenue: Goodison Park Date: Sunday, 14 September Kick-off: 14:30 BSTCoverage: Live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app.To the casual observer, Everton v Tottenham is just another Women's Super League fixture.But history will be made on Sunday at 14:30 BST, with Everton playing their first match at Goodison Park since it became the permanent home of the women's team.Everton have played at Goodison Park before, most recently in November 2024, when they beat Liverpool 1-0 in the Merseyside derby, but on their previous appearances at the 133-year-old stadium, they were guests of Everton men.But following the relocation of the men's team to the newly constructed Hill Dickinson Stadium on Liverpool's waterfront, Goodison Park is embarking on a new era as the largest dedicated women's stadium in England.More succinctly, in the words of Everton defender Kenzie Weir: "It's ours."Weir is more familiar with the stadium than most of her team-mates, as her dad, former Scotland international David Weir, made more than 250 appearances for the Toffees between 1999 and 2007. There are photos of her on the pitch as a child and she "remembers the atmosphere" from his playing days. Now, it's the stage for her and her team-mates to "showcase what we've got"."The history and the feeling you get when you go to Goodison is different to any other stadium I've been to," Weir said. "There's just pure excitement from the whole team to be able to play there."[The club] has put a lot of trust in the women's team. To keep Goodison and give us Goodison, it gives us the confidence and motivation we need to carry that legacy on. There's pressure because it's such a big stadium and it's such a historic stadium, but we're really excited to showcase what we've got."We've played a few games there, but it's always been the men's stadium. Now it's our stadium and we can make it feel like it's ours."Everton to reduce Goodison capacity for women's teamPublished15 MayEverton sell women's team to parent companyPublished29 JulyEverton's biggest net spend - how they are turning fortunes aroundPublished5 days agoTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedMedia caption, Everton players reveal their football confessionsA 'new era' for Goodison ParkGoodison Park was destined for an entirely different future when Everton's move to Bramley-Moore Dock was announced.The club's previous owner, Farhad Moshiri, had planned for an ￡82m post-demolition renovation project on the site, including housing, a care home, retail units, and a park. The centre circle, where the ashes of Everton legend Dixie Dean are scattered, would be preserved as an area of green space.But following the Friedkin Group's takeover in December 2024, those plans were scrapped, with a feasibility study convincing the private investment firm that the ground had a bright future in the women's game – albeit with alterations to make to the 39,572-seater stadium.The women's side previously shared grounds with Marine, rugby league side Widnes Vikings, and Southport, before settling at Walton Hall Park in 2020. That ground, one mile from their new home, has a 2,200 capacity and attracted an average home attendance of 2,062 last season.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, An artist's impression of how Goodison Park will look as a women's stadiumAs well as covering the upper tiers of the Main Stand, Bullens Road Stand and Howard Kendall Gwladys Street End with club branding, Everton women CEO Hannah Forshaw confirmed "minor changes" have been made to the concourse levels to "accommodate the new audience". The flow of fans through the ground has been altered, with the fan park open throughout the match, and the club will trial allowing alcohol in the stands after securing a licence.With the ground still evolving, Forshaw is keen for fans to have their say in the matchday experience while also respecting the stadium's "heritage"."This is not just bricks and mortar. That's a stadium with a soul that means a lot to a lot of people," she said. "We'll get that open and then we'll start to think about how best to utilise the stadium to suit the needs of the women's game."We didn't want to make any assumptions on what our fans want. We want our fans to come and tell us, and work with them to build the new era of Everton to make sure it's fit for purpose for years to come."Weir has backed the club's vocal "core group of supporters" to help the players settle into their new surroundings.Head coach Brian Sorensen, meanwhile, says the ground is already "starting to feel like home" and praised the club for balancing the old with the new in Goodison's renovations."Every time we come there's progress. The tunnels are rebranded, the changing rooms are super nice for the girls, the stadium is starting to take shape," he said. "And then you have all the old quotes around the stadium. I love walking around the tunnels and seeing that."I tell the girls we are inheriting something historical and we need to make sure we play with a lot of pride. It's the blend of a new era and history we can't forget."'It's our job to give the fans more history'Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rosa van Gool and Ornella Vignola are two of nine new Everton faces at the start of the Goodison eraFor a time, Everton were one of the top women's teams in the country.They won a league title in 1998, two domestic cups in the late 2000s, and reached the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League in 2011, and attracted players such as Jill Scott, Fara Williams, Toni Duggan and Rachel Brown-Finnis. Under Moshiri's ownership, the team's on-field results went into decline, unable to compete with the sustained success of Arsenal and emerging powerhouses Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United. Since his takeover in 2016, they've finished no higher than fifth in the WSL.But there is optimism around the club that change is coming.The Friedkin Group are no strangers to success in the women's game, winning six trophies since 2020 as the majority owners of Roma, and brought in nine players during the transfer window, including Ornella Vignola, who scored a hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield on her debut.Forshaw can feel a change around the club, although she did caution against expecting Everton to "win the league in season one". "Our ambition is to be competitive, continue to attract those star players that will continue to move us up the league, hopefully get a really good cup run. We've got the talent to do it. The squad have got the belief," she said. "I get the sense there's been a real step change in how people are viewing the women's game at Everton and that's radiating through the team."Sorensen credits the stadium move with helping to attract players to the club and sell his vision: "Goodison is a magic place and it was something I told agents and players [about]. A lot of female players are looking for that stability and support from the ownership because they buy into the project."As for Weir, it's the history embedded within Goodison Park which will spur the women's team on in their "new chapter". Everton's men won 24 trophies, including eight First Division titles, during their time at the stadium."If you look at women's football in England in the last 20 years or so, Everton have always been one of the best. We've always had very good players who've gone on to do great things," Weir said."It's exciting for us to see this new chapter and hopefully push on this season and the next few seasons."The history is still there, and the memories are still there. It's our job to take on that task and give them more history."Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feedRelated topicsFootballWomen's FootballMore on this storyGet the latest WSL news on our dedicated pageComments can not be loadedTo load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browserView comments | 224
