Everton's new stadium opens for the first time to some fans, will be "the envy of everyone"

The ball has rolled for the first time in the new Everton Stadium. Even if it will not host Premier League matches until next season, the stadium is complete, and 10,000 lucky fans, selected via ballot, were the first to witness a football match in the new stadium. It was a friendly for the under-18 Everton and Wigan Athletic, that ended in 2-1 defeat for the "Toffees", nickname for this historic club, which proudly presents a beautiful stadium in the docks of Liverpool.

The new stadium is the result of four years of works, and an estimated cost of £750m or £800m. Around £55m of those were spent in preserving the heritage works at the Bramley-Moore dock, according to The Guardian, including the railway tracks that carried coal to steamships or the original dock walls. It is expected that the stadium will attract 1.4 million visitors annually, create 15,000 jobs and contribute £1.3bn to the UK economy over its lifetime.

Keith Southern, the 16-year-old player who scored the only goal for Everton at the friendly, a late penalty, said it was a really proud moment to be among the first to play at the stadium. "It's incredible, it's iconic. The geography of it on the waterfront, but even looking beyond that, when you come inside, it's got a real feel about it".

Inside the 52,888 capacity stadium, there is a huge glass window that offers views of the city, looking to where the sun sets over the sea. A fan interviewed by BBC Sport says that "you don't get that view at Anfield". Everton fans will surely be sad to leave the iconic Goodison Park, but this new stadium (already confirmed to host games for Euro 2028) seems to have convinced all fans. "It will be a wrench to leave Goodison but when you see this, it is going to be the envy of everyone", said another fan.