Everton’s opening test event at Bramley Moore Stadium was a resounding success as 10,000 fans descended onto Regent Road to get their first glimpse of the South Stand.
A second test event will welcome 25,000 Evertonians to the stadium to watch an u21 friendly in late March or early April and fans who were successful in the ballot are now eagerly anticipating a confirmed date for the match.
The reason for the wait in confirmation could be because Everton are currently waiting on an entertainment and alcohol licence for the new stadium. The first test event did not include any food or drink sellers on the Fan Plaza outside the stadium, and no alcohol was served in the ground. The two ‘retail units’ in the South Stand were closed for the event.
Everton have applied for a licence for Bramley Moore and the fan zone. It is seeking a licence to open the plaza between 6am and 3pm, with live music and entertainment, and alcohol being served up until 11pm when needed.
The application on the Liverpool City Council website says: “Representations to be received by:
27th February 2025.”
It means a decision on the licence will only be made sometime shortly after 27 February. It could be that Everton are waiting for this to take place before confirming the times and dates of the second test event.
The second test event will have a capacity of approximately 25,000 seats, within the South Stand lower and upper tiers, East Stand lower, West Stand lower and North Stand lower and upper tiers.
Everton need to hold a test event to gain a licence to use the stadium in the 2025/26 Premier League season. The club must hold the events to meet criteria laid out in the Safety at Sport Grounds Act 1975 and the Fire Safety and Safety at Sports Grounds Act 1987.
At the end of the test events the club will need to create an operations manual that covers all aspects of the stadium. It will need to include the plan stewarding plan, medical plan, fire risk, crowd control, safeguarding, and risk assessment of the surrounding area.
According to the Sports Ground Safety Authority: “The Operations Manual should contain all the documents considered necessary for the safe management of the event.
“It is the responsibility of the venue management and/or event organiser to ensure that an Operations Manual is compiled, updated and made available on event days. This applies however small the venue or the event.”
It makes sense that Everton will want to use either the second or third test events – or both – to test out the full food and drinks offering of the ground and potentially entertainment in the fan plaza zone. It means the announcement is likely to come after a decision has been made on the premises licence.
That means expect a second test event announcement on Friday 28 February or early the following week.