There were two pictures shared across social media this week showing the new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock as it nears completion.
The first, an aerial shot at the interior of the stadium, gave a view of the steep stands and claustrophobic feel of the design. A second, a wonderful shot featuring the Victoria Clock Tower and a bicycle, was a stunning clash of old and new as the stadium stood overlooking the city’s historical docklands.
The images highlight a truth about Bramley Moore Stadium and the South Stand in particular – it is set to be one of the best stands in English football and critics of the club simply cannot handle it.
Brompton, at Bromley-Moore. pic.twitter.com/SAcIdWq1M7
— Tony McArdle (@bluemcardle) September 8, 2024
When Everton briefed the stadium architect Dan Meis it drew up an 11-point brief outlining what the stadium should be and how it should impact the surrounding area and wider city.
The first of those points says: “Our stadium will be a great place to play football. We will prioritise all football-related facilities and ensure all aspects of on-field performance are at the forefront of our plans. Creating and harnessing an atmospheric, intense and passionate environment will optimise our results. Our design will ensure that the benefit of home advantage is maximised. Just as the Gwladys Street has famously done in the past, the support from the home end will ‘suck the ball into the net.’ Our new stadium will be our footballing fortress.”
As a result the imposing South Stand is a single tier compared to the double and triple tiers found elsewhere in the stadium. Its size means the opposite North Stand is actually reduced in capacity to fit into the site plan.
The South Stand is the closest to the pitch out of the four sides at Bramley Moore at just five metres from the pitch and is incredibly steep – the closest and steepest a stand is allowed to be under Premier League regulations. It is also huge, fitting 13,000 fans (more than Liverpool’s Kop and the entire capacity of Bournemouth’s entire stadium) who will form a ‘blue wall’ of noise.
Inside Bramley Moore yesterday. Taken from the new home end “the blue wall” – the steepest stand in Europe.
— 𝑴𝑰𝑺𝑺𝒀 𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑺 (@missyellisx) March 20, 2024
There’s going to be some limbs in that end.. I can’t believe how steep it is. It was designed and based on Dortmund’s Yellow Wall home end by our architect @Meisarch and… pic.twitter.com/uGdQAkrOuE
Arsene Wenger once described Goodison Park as a ‘bear pit’ and his Arsenal sides often struggled in the feverish atmosphere of Goodison. The South Stand has been carefully designed to deliver that atmosphere and the growth of fan groups introducing flags and banners to the Gwladys Street will only add to the intensity of the stand.
Part of that is affordability. Fans visiting the world class stadium will, says the club, enjoy cheaper prices than other home ends where fans have been priced out in favour of more corporate packages and tourists.
Another point in the list of 11 said: “Our commitment to affordable ticket pricing will ensure our stadium is accessible to the widest of audiences. Our stateof-the-art facilities will encourage regular visits from all fans irrespective of age or ability. We will endeavour to make the stadium available for use all year round – not just on matchdays. A new ‘living and breathing’ community will develop adjacent to Bramley-Moore Dock. We will forge partnerships with local businesses and ensure our new home captures the spirit of our great City.”
The stand is currently unfinished. The seats are a uniform blue while artist impressions showed an elaborate Everton badge design. Lighting is not installed yet. The club is currently recruiting for electricians as the interior fit out continues. A major talking point has been a small wall halfway up the stand. It will be painted blue and does not separate the stand into two tiers, it simply is a small gap to allow for the installation of safe standing and was always included on the original plans.
But perhaps pictures are not doing the stand justice. However journalist Mark Douglas saw the stand in a more unfinished state than it is currently and was full of praise in his report in the Independent.
“Unsurprisingly there were plenty of volunteers for our tour, which took in a sweeping walk around the South Stand – the huge home end with steep terracing constructed to replicate Borussia Dortmund’s famous “yellow wall” – into the heart of the West Stand, where director’s boxes, hospitality spaces, player’s tunnel, the country’s biggest stadium hydro pool and a huge home dressing room resides.
“It is a vast venue but somehow when you get out onto the terraces it feels more intimate, your proximity to the pitch giving it a claustrophobic feel.”
Fully completed and packed full of 13,000 passionate fans, the South Stand at Bramley Moore will be a wall of noise. It will be one of the most intimidating stands in England and instantly one of the most iconic.
But the beauty of the South Stand at Everton’s new home does not end there. Fitted with glass designed to reflect the water of the Nelson Dock to the south, it will link Everton to the historic heart of Liverpool like never before.
The South Stand has a layer with floor to ceiling windows with views across the industrial Northern Docks and across the city’s famous skyline. The newest addition to that skyline, the city’s Fourth Grace, not only bookends a £5.5bn development by Peel to transform miles of dockland into residential, commercial and cultural significance, it has also led to massive changes to the original plans.
The planning document says: “We will develop an iconic stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. A venue that will sit proudly on our world-famous city skyline; a venue that will complement our City’s rich and envied heritage.
“The stadium development will help kick-start economic regeneration, bringing jobs to the area and acting as a catalyst for further investment. The development presents a much-needed regeneration opportunity for North Liverpool.”
Upon seeing the South Stand rising out of the docks, Peel quickly resubmitted its application for the multi-billion Liverpool Waters project because it wanted to ensure the Bramley Moore Stadium is visible from as many angles as possible throughout the development.
It says: “Within Nelson Dock, a consistent datum has been adopted, which is deferential to the height of the Stadium. This ensures the Stadium remains the dominant asset, both in mass and height from long range views from across the River Mersey and from Everton brow.
“The new Stadium will provide a consistent landmark throughout this route.”
The new Everton stadium is now shaping one of the most famous skylines in the world. Once inside the stadium, fans will be treated to state of the art food and drink facilities, a unique balcony with views across the city and over the River Mersey. On taking their seat they will be seated in a stand steeper than the Yellow Wall of Dortmund, bigger than most home ends in English football, closer to the pitch than even Goodison Park. It will be a spectacular sight.
Fans of rival clubs can mock Bramley Moore. They can share photoshopped pictures attempting to ridicule the stadium.
But in reality the recent pictures of Queen Mary 2 regally sailing past the sweeping wave of the stadium roof, the beautiful picture of the Docker’s Clock against a backdrop of Everton’s new home, and pictures showing the sheer steepness of the South Stand are the ones that will stick in the memory.
The South Stand is the highlight of what will be one of the best football venues in the world. It will be the third time Everton have built an iconic venue for the city of Liverpool and the reality is that the third time will be as impressive as the others.