Goodison is irreplaceable but the new Everton Stadium marks the beginning of a new dawn

Evertonian and long-time season ticket holder Richie Elder gives us his take on his club’s brand new home, Everton Stadium, as he gets set to bid farewell to Goodison Park.

They say be careful what you wish for, it’s a statement meant to temper optimism, to brace you for almost inevitable disappointment.

As Evertonians it is one we are all too familiar with. Where others see hope we have seen despair where others see opportunity we have seen disappointment. But sometimes, every once in a blue moon, you don’t have to be careful, you don’t have to assume the worst and brace for doom, sometimes the universe and whatever footballing gods you pray to allow you to have your moment in the sun. And right now myself, like every other blue, I am living in one of those times, the reason for that can be summed up in three simple words, Bramley Moore Dock.

Sat on the banks of the royal blue Mersey she looms large and imposing, an architectural construct of modern efficiency but still purpose built for football. Our new home will bring with it the promise of a new beginning, a process currently being set in place by David Moyes’ reborn team.

Everton Stadium is the next step in the evolution of a football club strangled by circumstance for years. We have something to be proud of now an oasis in our desert of mediocrity, she will be the finest stadium in the country and will bring all the rewards that such a space generates, revenue, prestige but most of all a new home for 50,000 blue-crazed devotees to worship at.

I attended the second test event held at the new place and it didn’t disappoint. Of course there are going to be some teething problems with access, pricing etc, but I defy anyone who has been there to say they were not mightily impressed.

With a footprint around 3 times the size of that of Goodison Park the sheer size of the place was the first thing that struck me, in fact I think I ended up just annoying my brother by the time I gasped for the fifth time “look at the size of the place lad”. It’s an enormous structure, modern and bold and quite frankly just what the doctor ordered. Although the seating capacity is regarded in some quarters as somewhat modest at 52,888, when you see inside and indeed explore the perimeter you can see why the club have used such scale.

The concourses inside where the vendors, toilets etc are, are wide and long built to make sure people are not crammed in together, with a huge amount of tills and service points long queues will hopefully be a rareity. There are escalators to ferry the blue army to the second tier and once up there the views are phenomenal. It’s such a far cry from Goodison in its appearance and size, although I did have a tinge of guilt almost as if I was cheating on the Grand Old Lady!

As a lifelong blue who has attended matches for as long as I can remember I will miss the Old Girl, she has been home for so long, generations of blues have attended. But credit has to go to the club and architect Dan Meiss for the way they have tried to preserve the Goodison roar. The stands are steep, I don’t mean a little steep. I mean STEEP. But the thinking behind this is to get the fans as close to the pitch as possible and to keep the noise from the raucous home support as loud and echoing as possible.

This is a purpose built football stadium and they had the Goodison effect in mind when building. The gigantic South Stand is widely perceived to be the new Gwladys Street. Although for me it was more akin to the yellow wall of Dortmund and I can only imagine the noise and passion it will generate when filled with Evertonians.

Some things in life you simply cant replace so you have no choice to walk away and do the next best thing, Goodison is irreplaceable but the new Everton Stadium marks the start of a new dawn. So even though it will be with a solemn heart I exit Goodison for the last time, it will also be one filled with excitement at what’s to come.

So for once blues let’s not be careful what we wish for, let’s wish for exactly what we want, then let’s fill the new Everton Stadium with that Goodison spirit and go out and get it.