Everton have put a brave face on the fact that the Government have ‘called in’ their plans for a new stadium in Kirkby. Tesco have reaffirmed their support for the scheme, but at best it means a delay and at worst the decision of the local council could be overturned. The costs of the project will certainly increase. There has been some criticism of the club for not having a Plan B, given that there is no feasible way of turning Goodison Park into a modern stadium. Walton Hall Park has been suggested as one site, as has the other end of Stanley Park from Liverpool’s new stadium.
Everton have put a brave face on the fact that the Government have ‘called in’ their plans for a new stadium in Kirkby. Tesco have reaffirmed their support for the scheme, but at best it means a delay and at worst the decision of the local council could be overturned. The costs of the project will certainly increase. There has been some criticism of the club for not having a Plan B, given that there is no feasible way of turning Goodison Park into a modern stadium. Walton Hall Park has been suggested as one site, as has the other end of Stanley Park from Liverpool’s new stadium. But that raises the question, why have two stadiums in one park when one would make more economic sense. The answer is, of course, that a shared stadium would not be acceptable to the fans of either club which reminds us that football is a business like no other.