Bramley-Moore dock reveals date of hosting first Everton game after announcing three test events during current season.
Bramley-Moore dock stadium next month will host Everton’s first game in preparation for their move to the Liverpool waterfront.
To acquire the licence and safety certifications needed to function at full capacity the next season, Everton will hold three test events. The club’s under-18 team will play a friendly match in front of 10,000 people on Monday, February 17. The opponent is still unknown.
Depending on how well the first test event goes, Everton’s under-21 team will play a friendly match in front of 25,000 spectators in late March or early April. Later in the season, a third game with a 52,888 capacity will take place. At this point, no competitive matches are possible.
The South Stand of the £800 million expansion, which includes the rail seating section, will accommodate the 10,000 spectators for the inaugural event. For the second test event, the team intends to open the entire stadium, albeit with smaller capacity in each stand. Tickets for the first two games will be distributed through a poll that starts on Friday. Adult tickets cost £5, while concessions cost £2.50.
Even though Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s contract is about to expire, Everton manager Sean Dyche has stated that no offers have been made for the striker this transfer window. Atalanta, the top team in Serie A, is apparently interested in 27-year-old Calvert-Lewin, whose contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
Dyche added that Neal Maupay’s recent social media jab at his parent club made it unlikely that Everton would discipline him. Following Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, the striker, who is now on loan at Marseille and has one goal for Everton, posted on X: “Whenever I’m having a bad day, I just check the Everton score and smile.”
Dyche is unconcerned by the £15m flop’s comments. “I think it is fair to say there is a bigger picture to Everton Football Club that I am focusing on and I don’t think I need to be too worried,” he said. Asked whether any disciplinary action would follow, Dyche replied: “I don’t think we’ll be worried about that.”