Goodison Park
Goodison Park, with a capacity of 40,157, holds a long and prestigious history as the first major football stadium to be built in England. In terms of stadia, Scotland was ahead of the game at the end of the nineteenth century, as Celtic and Rangers both already had similar grounds to boast about. However, it was Goodison Park which introduced a whole new category of stadium to England.
The stadium was nothing short of revolutionary. The way it was set out was far superior to anything that had come before it, and the stands were designed in such a way as to allow ease of viewing from any location inside the stadium. It was also home to the first covered dugouts in the country, which were built in 1931, again a concept copied from the Scottish. In 1958 it added to its list of innovations by installing under-the-pitch heating to melt the ice and frost before a match.
Located at Mere Green, it opened on 24th August 1892, and saw its first game in September of that year, when Everton beat Bolton 4-2. Constructed in a residential area, it is limited by the amount of buildings around it. One of the corners of the stadium is essentially formed by the church next door, St Luke the Evangelist, and all of this has made expansion very difficult over the years.
Its size and historical value meant that it was one of the stadia used for the 1966 World Cup, staging five matches including a semi-final. Even though it is dated now, it still holds a special place in English football history, and will continue to provide a home to Everton for many years to come.
Main Stand
The original Main Stand at Goodison Road was built in 1909, and lasted for over 60 years before being pulled down in 1971 to make way for the stand that is there today. When it was first built, the three-tiered stand was the largest stand in Britain until Chelsea claimed that honour by opening East Stand three years later in 1974.
It is here where the Family Enclosure and the Top Balcony are located, and it also contains a few corporate boxes. The players’ changing rooms are found inside the stand, and its current capacity is 16,347.
Park End Stand
Park End Stand was first constructed in 1907, and was originally built as a double-decker stand. It is located on the South side of the stadium behind one of the goals, with Walton Lane behind it. After the Taylor Report was released in response to the Hillsborough disaster, the lower tier of the stand became the last place in the country to hold standing fans.
In 1994 the ageing stand was demolished to make way for the new Park End Stand that is seen today. The new stand only has one tier of seating, and has a capacity of 6,000. It is from this stand that the scoreboard is hung, meaning this is the one place in the ground where the score cannot be seen.
Gwladys Street Stand
Gwladys Street Stand was originally opened in 1938 by the Queen Mother, making Goodison Park the only stadium in Britain to have four double-decker stands. It was also the most advanced of the stands in its day, holding up to 14,200 before seating became compulsory. It is now the second oldest of the four stands as two of the others have all been demolished and re-made. It also sustained some damages during World War II due to its proximity to Liverpool docks.
It is situated at the north end of the stadium behind the goal, with two tiers and a capacity of 10,155. Lower Gwladys, the lower tier of the stand, hosts the most ardent fans on match days, and therefore has a reputation for being the most vocal of all of the areas inside the ground.
Bullens Road Stand
Built in 1926, Bullens Road is the oldest stand at Goodison Park, although it has seen numerous changes in its time. It was originally a two-tier stand, with the upper stand seated and the lower stand a terrace, which also went by the name of The Paddock. In 1963 it became a three-tiered stand when the rear of The Paddock became seated.
just to help you a touch more James.
