Everton fans have been through the mill in recent years, but now they have a splendid new stadium at Bramley Dock. The patience of the owners of the Bramley Dock Inn has paid off and the area is reviving.
American architect Dan Meis, pitchside to witness his vision
come to life, had been mindful of recreating the atmosphere from Goodison Park.
The 52,769-capacity stadium is vastly more modern than its predecessor, but it
has very much been built to keep the sound in.
Meis, based out of Los Angeles and New York, designed the
steep South Stand to have a 34.99° gradient. The legal limit is 35°. The
stadium’s metallic roof is meant to reverberate sound.
New beginnings are not always painless. It has taken a while
for Everton’s Premier League rivals, such as Arsenal, Manchester City and West
Ham United, to adapt to different surroundings. West Ham, it could be argued,
never have. And while there will be inevitable teething problems — on and off
the pitch — for Moyes, his side and supporters, a 2-0 victory in the opening
Premier League home game can only help the process.
Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium is forward-thinking and
rooted in the memories of the past. The 17,000 fan plaza, housed in front of
the East Stand, has become an early meeting place for supporters. The early
evidence is fans will gather here hours before kick-off in a way they never did
— or were able to do — at Goodison.
An effort was made to make the new stadium more homely for
the Everton players and fans. Concourses featured images of Everton icons,
while the club’s Latin motto Nil Satis Nisi Optimum was painted outside the
tunnel for when the teams walk out.
Everton played There She Goes by The La’s before and after
the match, just as they had done in that final Goodison game. Once again, it
struck the right emotional chord. The idea, even in this futuristic new home,
is to take the best of the old with them and build on that.
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