In May Liverpool law firm Hill Dickinson struck a multi-million pound deal for the naming rights on Everton FC’s new stadium – but for a few weeks in 2028, its name will disappear from the arena – here’s why. Tony McDonough reports
There was a degree of surprise in May when Liverpool law firm Hill Dickinson secured naming rights on Everton FC’s new £750m stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Hill Dickinson is no high street tiddler. It has annual revenues of £145m and offices across the UK and overseas. But Premier League stadium sponsors are normally much bigger… think Emirates, Etihad and Amex.
Although no value was announced, the multi-year deal is likely to be worth tens of millions of pounds. But, just months into the season, it already seems to make sense. Hill Dickinson’s name has been repeated multiple times to a global Premier League audience.
In the last few days it has been announced that the stadium will host five matches during the Euro 2028 international tournament which is being staged across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland from June 9 to July 9 2028.
Four group games and a last 16 clash will take place at the 52,769-capacity waterfront arena and you might imagine this would offer further exposure for Hill Dickinson to a global TV audience. The event is estimated to be worth £3.6bn to the UK and Ireland.
Sadly not. Because for the duration of the tournament the Hill Dickinson name will be erased from the venue which will simply be called Everton Stadium. Why is this?
Well major international sporting events are big money and attract the biggest global corporate names. It is likely European football Governing body UEFA will raise more than £500m in sponsorship and confirmed sponsors so far include Adidas, Atos, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg and Visit Qatar.
For that kind of money sponsors demand exclusivity. They don’t want any other corporate names getting a free ride on the back of their agreements. So the ‘clean venue’ policy means all other brands must disappear during the tournament.
Major governing bodies such FIFA and UEFA have strict rules prohibiting non-official advertising within and around host stadiums during their events. So at the 2026 World Cup in the US many of the venues will also have to change their names temporarily.
One official for a sports consulting firm noted regarding the World Cup: “If they told Hyundai-Kia that they would be playing in and talking about Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Hyundai-Kia wouldn’t have paid what they paid. And that goes for every brand.”
Everton confirmed the arrangement to LBN: “The stadium will just be referred to and listed as Everton Stadium for the tournament due to UEFA sponsorship rules.
“Arsenal and Man City’s stadiums are known as Arsenal Stadium and City of Manchester Stadium when they play in domestic European competitions due to the same rule. The Etihad will be City of Manchester Stadium for the Euros in 2028 too.”
Hill Dickinson declined to comment for this article.