Everton’s new home at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool, England, would be called Hill Dickinson Stadium, the club has announced, after a naming rights deal with the commercial law firm.
Everton have been seeking a naming rights partner for their ￡800 million (US$1.06 billion) stadium for some time and had hoped to attract a blue-chip company to their large development on the banks of the Mersey River.
They have signed a long-term deal with Hill Dickinson, which was founded in Liverpool in 1810 and has expanded into Europe and Asia over the past few years.
Photo: Reuters
Neither party has announced the length or financial terms of the deal.
However, Everton said it is “one of the largest stadium naming rights deals in Europe.” That would value the deal at about ￡10 million per year.
USM, the holding company of Alisher Usmanov, paid ￡30 million for an exclusive option on naming rights for the new stadium in 2020. However, Everton cut ties with Usmanov’s companies after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2020. Everton play their final game at Goodison Park today against Southampton before the move to Bramley-Moore Dock.
Photo: AP
Everton coach David Moyes has said the club had to “move on” from Goodison, but should be careful not to leave the community heart of the club behind when relocating to the more corporate offering at Bramley-Moore.
“We used to hear about the ‘prawn sandwich brigade,’ and that was a bit controversial at the time, but I do think football is moving into a world where there is a lot of money being generated, and the money coming into football is phenomenal. It looks as if it’s continuing to grow,” Moyes said.
“We’ve got to watch that we don’t stay in the past. We have got to move on. Everton need a new stadium, undoubtedly. I know we love Goodison, but the facilities behind the scenes need redoing, and people are looking for much more now in life,” he said.
Photo: Reuters
“It will still attract the same people. The same people will go. The new stadium might attract a different breed, but I hope we still keep the community,” he added.
The term “prawn sandwich brigade” is a well-known phrase in British soccer, popularized by then-Manchester United captain Roy Keane in 2000, when he used the term to criticize a certain type of soccer fan that attended matches primarily for the hospitality perks, such as eating prawn sandwiches in executive boxes, rather than to passionately support the team like a traditional fan.
Moyes confirmed that Everton’s long-serving captain, Seamus Coleman, would stay on in a playing capacity next season, and more decisions on players’ futures could be made before the Goodison finale.
Coleman has struggled with injuries this season, starting only one English Premier League game, and the 36-year-old’s deal is due to expire this summer.
“The plan is to keep him on a playing contract, but we’ll decide when we need to use him and when we won’t. I need him here. With his leadership and his message to the dressing room, it would be wrong to let him go,” Moyes said.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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