A first image of the home dressing room at Everton FC’s new stadium has been released by the club with a former Blues captain saying the new venue will be ‘something special’. Tony McDonough reports
Former Everton FC captain Phil Jagielka says he believes the club’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock will be “something special”.
Jagielka, who played for the Blues from 2007 to 2019, was speaking as he was shown the emerging home dressing room at the waterfront arena. Everton have released the first image of the changing facilities.
Everton now aim to leave Goodison Park and kick off the 2025/26 football season at their new home on Liverpool waterfront. Work on the £750m 52,888-capacity arena at Liverpool Waters remains on track.
“It’s amazing. I’ve seen a lot of footage, but not been able to get here until now and it’s going to be something special. Totally different, but very special,” said Jagielka.
“The dressing room here looks a bit different than that one we’ve been used to at Goodison, so this is fantastic and what they are able to do here, with the facilities, brings Everton to the place it needs to be.
“Squads have got bigger now, not only on the pitch but also the coaching staff.
“Hopefully you choose a neighbour who is around for a while too, but when you have a really nice home dressing room and your own little space, there’s nothing nicer than coming in with your washbag and seeing your shirt hung up.”
The large, circular dressing room, in the heart of the west stand, has been designed to maximise team unity and inclusivity.
It features a large central island and includes a raft of technology to aid the management team and a significant increase in space for other functions, such as physios and the team doctor.
An accompanying hydrotherapy pool, to aid recovery, is another huge leap forwards from the cosy confines of the existing dressing room at Goodison.
Following a walk down the players’ tunnel – and after emerging into the bowl of Everton’s future home – the ex-England international, who made 385 appearances for the Toffees, declared the stadium has the wow factor.
He added: “I was excited to come here and couldn’t fathom how much it had evolved from nothing, but the size of it is breathtaking.
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“We’ve all been itching to get here, as quickly as possible while, at the same extent, not really wanting to leave Goodison.
“But if everything is going to be as it looks, it’s going to be an amazing place to call home and, hopefully, somewhere we can build good memories.”