New Everton Stadium - Hill Dickinson Stadium

[jonnyboy316]

This is my take: the club are, at least for the time being, vindicated in their choice. However, how plays out in the future, well who knows.

I think the fan base, as a whole, need to have a combination of realism and objectivity because a rebuild of this club is going to take its time.

The stadium is great, but it will take time for people to build relationships, people to find their 'sweet-spot' and it to become fully Evertonised.

It's going to take time to rebuild the squad: whilst the likes of N'Diaye, KDH, Grealish and Garner are great additions, we still have a lot to do elsewhere.

The football being served up at the moment due to our lack of depth will be a part in why games aren't selling out, combined with the day, time, price et al.

We also have to acknowledge that the owners will make mistakes, this includes with pricing. The next four home games being night games won't help!

*a situation the PL should never actually bloody allow

Where are the 60k crew at. That would have been embarrassing. Looks like the club got it right

 

[dannyboy]

There's some there are more.

£62 for one of those seats just feels so out of touch. It's midweek against Bournemouth in February in a game that'll likely be on TV even if it is the Sky Sports golf channel.

Does anyone know how many season tickets we have now? I think in years to come it's going to be difficult to shift individual match day tickets at those prices. Club could always decide to add in a few thousand more season tickets to help that problem.

 

[dannyboy]

This is my take: the club are, at least for the time being, vindicated in their choice. However, how plays out in the future, well who knows.

I think the fan base, as a whole, need to have a combination of realism and objectivity because a rebuild of this club is going to take its time.

The stadium is great, but it will take time for people to build relationships, people to find their 'sweet-spot' and it to become fully Evertonised.

It's going to take time to rebuild the squad: whilst the likes of N'Diaye, KDH, Grealish and Garner are great additions, we still have a lot to do elsewhere.

The football being served up at the moment due to our lack of depth will be a part in why games aren't selling out, combined with the day, time, price et al.

We also have to acknowledge that the owners will make mistakes, this includes with pricing. The next four home games being night games won't help!

*a situation the PL should never actually bloody allow

I still think more needs to be done to make the stadium accessible and you're right it does need to feel more like home too.

There's a lot of people online who won't have anything bad said about the stadium but there'll also be the first to complain when we start having 8000 empty seats for your average home game in the coming years.

 

[gazzaa2]

Would we though ? I was all for going big on the capacity but it honestly feels , certainly from Perfectly justifiable moaning , that some people Fancied the idea of a season ticket without all that that entails .

I’ll tell you when we wouldn’t fill it when we played wolves because we didn’t fill II last week . We might get more travelling fans treating it as a day out , which again is something sound , because there has definitely been a big increase in that number but are they enough to sustain an increase of 10k ?

I wanted a bigger capacity but it feels like we probably got it right

There's more demand this season because everyone wants to go to the stadium for the first time (Everton fan or not). That novelty goes in a season or two.

The thing with 60k capacity - you need a good team to fill it. You need the product on the pitch. Everton have been horrific to watch at home for a long time now and stuck in the bottom half of the league. When West Ham were going well in Europe for example they were filling the place (a very unsuitable ground).

There needs to be more Grealish's and Ndiaye's. Players who get you out your seat.

 

[maccavennie]

There's more demand this season because everyone wants to go to the stadium for the first time (Everton fan or not). That novelty goes in a season or two.

The thing with 60k capacity - you need a good team to fill it. You need the product on the pitch. Everton have been horrific to watch at home for a long time now and stuck in the bottom half of the league.

There needs to be more Grealish's and Ndiaye's.

In a nutshell.

Players who get fans off there seats, lift the atmosphere, make it worthwhile watching.

Let's be honest, we go a goal down at home were about 80% expecting a defeat. The football in the main is stale, poor entertainment.

I reckon we've had 1 full game where we've dominated from start to finish and that was Fulham at home.

I'd never consider a season ticket as I work every Saturday and a large amount of Sundays, but this season ive turned down free tickets for 3 home games as so many have been weekday. Why? I just don't enjoy it and I find my love of football wavering as each season passes and the football just doesn't help at all.

This is probably my favourite thread on the forum though, to see how fans migration from Goodison to the new stadium has gone, to read stories of those that love it and those that are considering not renewing and packing it all in. I think there'll be a lot considering that and the owners are going to have to think very long and hard about how to avoid it.

Everton have just been here to exist the past 30 odd years.

Evertonians don't want to just "exist" anymore and the club are going to need to remind themselves of that

 

[Harryflashman]

It’s the back few rows on all 4 of the corners.

Same with Leeds this week.

They aren’t resale tickets, they are unsold tickets.

Yet simultaneously the stadium is 10,000 seats to small Z

There's more demand this season because everyone wants to go to the stadium for the first time (Everton fan or not). That novelty goes in a season or two.

The thing with 60k capacity - you need a good team to fill it. You need the product on the pitch. Everton have been horrific to watch at home for a long time now and stuck in the bottom half of the league. When West Ham were going well in Europe for example they were filling the place (a very unsuitable ground).

There needs to be more Grealish's and Ndiaye's. Players who get you out your seat.

I agree with that , my point is those fans who turn up for good footy or success you can’t build a huge capacity for them really can you ? Because if that success slips your attendances drop again .

While agreeing with your view about attacking fans My point is I think in our core support we have a ceiling & it feels in terms of that the club probably got the stadium right.

When we play the RS there will be loads of moaning about not being able to go whether it’s a Monday or whatever but we play them once a season surely we have to build it with the wolves or Leeds of the world in mind .

 

[MCtoffee]

Man City fans struggle to fill the etihad or the ‘emptyhad’ as it’s been called. If they’re struggling, it’s no surprise we might, mid winter on a Monday. They often give free tickets away to schools to help fill it. You can’t blame the quality on the pitch there

 

[Tom Hughes]

There's more demand this season because everyone wants to go to the stadium for the first time (Everton fan or not). That novelty goes in a season or two.

The thing with 60k capacity - you need a good team to fill it. You need the product on the pitch. Everton have been horrific to watch at home for a long time now and stuck in the bottom half of the league. When West Ham were going well in Europe for example they were filling the place (a very unsuitable ground).

There needs to be more Grealish's and Ndiaye's. Players who get you out your seat.

West Ham had to significantly reduce their ticket prices to fill the stadium. You can do that if you get the stadium for practically nothing. It's also easier to do that when you live in a megacity with a vast population and potential massive floating vote of youngsters that are unable to get into any other premiership ground..... and of course a steady stream of tourists like nowhere else. Another 10k capacity might've cost another £150-250m+..... that could've been the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

[gazzaa2]

Yet simultaneously the stadium is 10,000 seats to small Z

I agree with that , my point is those fans who turn up for good footy or success you can’t build a huge capacity for them really can you ? Because if that success slips your attendances drop again .

While agreeing with your view about attacking fans My point is I think in our core support we have a ceiling & it feels in terms of that the club probably got the stadium right.

When we play the RS there will be loads of moaning about not being able to go whether it’s a Monday or whatever but we play them once a season surely we have to build it with the wolves or Leeds of the world in mind .

Personally I think building 60k is unrealistic anyway because the attendance bubble is unsustainable. Not least as the average age of a Premier League crowd is high. Older season ticket holders make up a high percentage and won't always be easily replaced. Tourists/casuals may turn up for the big games in big numbers.

However, I think you have to make sure you're playing good footy and have exciting players or at least have a winning team which is ultimately the bottom line. I've said this about the new ground. The club have got used to playing attritional football with negative managers and could get away with that at Goodison.

 

[Tom Hughes]

Man City fans struggle to fill the etihad or the ‘emptyhad’ as it’s been called. If they’re struggling, it’s no surprise we might, mid winter on a Monday. They often give free tickets away to schools to help fill it. You can’t blame the quality on the pitch there

They can probably blame the number of games to some extent.... all the extra european and domestic cup games really adds up. The decades of Man Utd dominance really ate into their historic fanbase.... and in anycase, their highest ever average attendance was only 42k at Maine Rd. However, all of their success means that it's really showing signs of growth now, and they will soon be up to 62k capacity, and again their wealth and freeby stadium means that they can probaby be less demanding on ticket prices.

 

[mccole]

I think we all knew that prices would go up especially with new owners but I think the club HAS to readdress some of the costings.

£60+ for a home game and food/drink costings - how can you blame fans for attending or cheering at sub par football.

If they dropped the price by £10-20, fans would spend that on drinks or food at the ground and potentially spend more at Bramley Moore.

What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts

Look at the NFL, Atlanta Falcons dropped the prices and got 30% increase in transactions and increased fan experience with increased more sponsors.



Fans should be protected from ethnic markets and inflation pricing.

Fans are not commodities.

 

[maccavennie]

West Ham had to significantly reduce their ticket prices to fill the stadium. You can do that if you get the stadium for practically nothing. It's also easier to do that when you live in a megacity with a vast population and potential massive floating vote of youngsters that are unable to get into any other premiership ground..... and of course a steady stream of tourists like nowhere else. Another 10k capacity might've cost another £150-250m+..... that could've been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Maybe TFG will have to consider that as I don't think they paid the 600-700m it cost to build the stadium. I know there was a great article from a lawyer who worked for TFG and a few months ago he was saying what an amazing deal Everton was as it was a distressed asset with a stadium included "practically free"

I'm not sure what they'd class as "practically free" but maybe that's not a bad angle to look at it from, maybe TFG should be of the thinking "hey, we didn't need to soak up 100% of the stadium build, so what can we do in return that keeps the fans invested and on board"

I understand they're businessmen/women, but you still need a fanbase/customers to invest in the product

 

[Tom Hughes]

Maybe TFG will have to consider that as I don't think they paid the 600-700m it cost to build the stadium. I know there was a great article from a lawyer who worked for TFG and a few months ago he was saying what an amazing deal Everton was as it was a distressed asset with a stadium included "practically free"

I'm not sure what they'd class as "practically free" but maybe that's not a bad angle to look at it from, maybe TFG should be of the thinking "hey, we didn't need to soak up 100% of the stadium build, so what can we do in return that keeps the fans invested and on board"

I understand they're businessmen/women, but you still need a fanbase/customers to invest in the product

Yes, I was hoping that would be the case with our new owners too, but judging by the tkt prices, it looks like they've set a ROI rate, almost equivalent to them having paid full wack.

 

[MikeyMike]

Arsenal women average 37,000 a game at the Emirates. Yes, the women. How do they do that? Brilliant targeted marketing, low prices (£20) and scheduling the games for times that suit their target audience (usually Saturday lunch time, allowing them to sell more food to the families who make up most of the audience).

I use the word Audience rather than Fan deliberately. They make it feel like an experience more than a football match.

I know it’s a whole different situation for men’s Premier League football, but it does show what clever marketing and pricing can achieve. Also what happens when you don’t deliberately ignore the people who support the club, or gaslight them by telling them something is being done after “consulting” the fans, like our lot just did with shrinking the season ticket renewal window size.

The increasing number of empty seats I’m seeing at our ground for night games is an embarrassment. You can’t give away a seat for these games, let alone sell them on resale or seat unique.

 

[atrottel]

Those unsold seats are almost all blocks near or at the back. Same thing happened with some previous games.

I would suggest that maybe those blocks were handed as allocations to official fan clubs, travel agencies or even local hotels to sell as part of packages by the club, with a clause that they would be handed back by a certain date or payment would be due. Thus the 'blocks' of seats...