Reports have appeared in the last few weeks stating Everton will expand the capacity of Hill Dickinson Stadium to 57,000 and then 62,000 in time for Euro 2028.
The capacity of the stadium has been a hot topic for Evertonians, with some questioning if the near 53,000 capacity is enough for the club’s ambitions.
With the stadium just a few months removed from opening its doors for the first time is the Friedkin Group genuinely seeking to increase the capacity so soon? And is it even possible?
Stadium architect Dan Meis’ website says the ‘proposed stadium capacity is 52,000 seats with the potential to rise to 62,000 seats in the future.”
The claim that the ground is set up to expand to 62,000 seats is probably the oldest one about the ground’s capacity and was included in Meis’ original proposals for the stadium development. That does not mean it is no longer true but later information from the club itself seems to dilute these claims.
The club’s own FAQ about Hill Dickinson Stadium suggests any actual development plans would be unlikely. Instead, the capacity is only due to increase if changes to safe standing rules come in. As things stand safe standing is allowed in the lower South Stand but clubs are restricted to one person per seat even if the seats themselves are not being used.
The club says: “The stadium is ‘future-proofed’ to enable the introduction of safe-standing which, should Government legislation change on the ratio of one person standing to one seat, could allow the Club to increase the capacity further.”
Changes to safe standing could potentially increase capacity by a further 5,000 people to reach the 57,000 figure quoted by some websites. There is a more likely scenario though.
Reports of an expansion to 57,000 in the next two years could simply be a mistake. The club has quoted a 57,000 capacity for concerts, which would use the pitch area to expand the capacity of the stadium for big music events – something the club has secured a license for amid rumours the first performance will be none other than Paul McCartney at Bramley Moore Dock.
That would be the most likely reason for that figure being quoted in recent reports. On top of that there are several restrictions that may prevent Everton from easily expanding the stadium.
The West Stand is probably not a consideration when it comes to expansion. The stand is the club’s corporate hub and the bars, restaurants and executive boxes take up much of the space in the stand itself. There would be little room for expansion and little appetite to redevelop them or have them closed for extended periods of time.
The South Stand is already one of the largest single stands in Europe with 14,000 home fans packed in. Everton would be unlikely to make this larger because building upwards is not an option.
A late amendment to the stadium plans was to actually lower the highest part of the eye-catching barrel roof above the South Stand. This was so that the stadium remained in the mid-rise category of the city’s Heritage Site Planning Framework.
The site is no longer a World Heritage Site but the original framework has since been replaced by the city council’s own ‘Heritage Management Plan’ and it uses similar building heights. A higher roof would mean a new classification of high rise and that would need more complicated planning permissions.
That would not be impossible and Colin Chong, Everton’s Director of Stadium Development, has previously suggested it would be an easier task to secure permission to increase the height of an existing stadium.
However, the South Stand also suffers from being close to the water at Nelson Dock, so building outwards would not be possible. There is also the issue with crowd dispersal. Until the future of Nelson Dock is secured Everton are actually lacking two pedestrian entrances to the stadium it had originally relied on.
The club itself says in the stadium planning document: “Accessibility to the East through the existing Regent Road Dock Wall threshold will be improved with new connections and a continuation of the
proposed River Walk into the site will be an important future connection south towards the city centre.
“Access to the south east and South west corners of the development are closed in the short term until the LW development is completed at Nelson Dock and then these routes will be open unless management / security reasons dictate otherwise.”
It would make sense that those routes would be key to increasing the capacity if safe standing regulations change in the South Stand and it lends more support to Everton’s plan to buy Nelson Dock.
The North Stand would be the obvious option for expansion. The asymmetric nature of Hill Dickinson Stadium means the North Stand has a large chunk out of the top of the seating area, offering Club View members a nice view down the River Mersey.
But the North Stand also has problems. As it stands it is right up against the northern wall of the site and the United Utilities plant on Wellington Dock. Only a small road for team coach access separates the stadium from its neighbour.
There could be expansion potential but it would need to rework much of the upper tier, the large window and probably sections of the roof, while the stand would probably need to overhang the road below to create a tunnel – provided planning permission would be allowed so close to the industrial site next door.
The issue with expanding the North Stand is that the infrastructure would not be able to keep up. As shown in the building plans, the North Stand concourse area is significantly smaller than that of the South Stand and it is already a problem area in the stadium when it comes to queues for bathroom facilities and kiosks. Adding several thousands seats would put further strain on those facilities.
While both end stands would make the most sense for expansion as they would interfere with the stunning roof structure the least, both would probably require new land to be bought either side of the stadium and there are potential issues over crowd placement.
That leaves the East Stand, which has plenty of space behind it to expand into and, crucially, has larger concourses serving fewer seats than and other areas of the stadium. Chong has previously hinted any future expansion would be easier around the sides of the stadium so this would be the most likely option.
According to an article in The Athletic earlier this year: “There is, however, some scope to expand the stadium’s east side but only if there is genuine demand for it, as it would not be cheap.”
An East Stand expansion would be difficult. It would need a huge rebuild, all while ripping up the roof and interior symmetry with the West Stand. The move would possibly be the most expensive option in terms of per seat cost and would almost definitely have to include more corporate boxes, increasing the 22 already in the stadium’s West Stand.
It would also prove logistically difficult as closing the East Stand even temporarily will impact access via the fan plaza, as well as the club’s ability to hold events in the 17,000 plaza or the stadium itself.
It means while there may be appetite to expand Hill Dickinson Stadium from the club’s owners, barring a chance in safe standing laws it is very unlikely Everton will do any major redevelopment. It certainly will not happen in the next two years due to the time and cost it would take to design improvements, secure planning permission and potentially even buy new land to accommodate the changes.
As a comparison, Liverpool’s Anfield Road expansion application was submitted in 2020 and was completed 2024.
It seems Everton’s capacity of a little under 53,000 will remain as it is for the next few years at least. A few small tweaks may add some more capacity and if the Friedkin Group buys Nelson Dock it could open up some more opportunities – but don’t expect any building work anytime soon.
