Goodbye Goodison

After 113 years at Goodison Park, Everton FC and their supporting faithful said goodbye to their historic football ground, which has seen many highs and lows during its long history.

Whilst the Evertonians wave goodbye to their historic home, which is symbolic of the Toffees, supporters and neutrals who have yet to participate in the Goodison Park experience will have an opportunity to visit the old stadium. Next season, for at least a further year, the Everton Ladies side will play their Women’s Super League home fixtures at Goodison Park.

They played Southampton today in the men’s final match at the stadium before they move to Bramley-Moore Dock next season. For sponsorship reasons, it will be called the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Toffees were victorious in their final match, beating the Saints 2-0 with a brace from former Marseille and Sheffield United forward, Illiman Ndiaye, who has the prestige of being the final player to score at Goodison.

Goodison Park, affectionately known as “The Grand Old Lady,” has been the proud home of Everton Football Club since 1892. Located in the Walton area of Liverpool, it was England’s first major football stadium built specifically for a Football League club. Everton, having parted ways with Anfield after a rent dispute, commissioned the purpose-built ground just across Stanley Park. Designed by architect Henry Hartley, Goodison was a pioneering venue with innovations such as under-soil heating, double-decker stands, and being the first ground to have dugouts.

Throughout its history, Goodison Park has witnessed footballing legends and historic moments. The stadium hosted an FA Cup final replay in 1910 and was used in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, including the famous quarter-final in which Eusébio’s Portugal overcame North Korea. At its peak, the ground could hold over 78,000 fans, though modern safety regulations reduced that significantly to around 39,000.

The stadium’s atmosphere, with fans mere feet from the pitch, has always been one of its defining traits. The Gwladys Street End, in particular, became iconic for its passionate Evertonians. Goodison also served its community beyond football, hosting boxing, royal visits, and even being used as a military training ground during both World Wars.

Everton enjoyed their most successful periods at Goodison, winning nine league titles, five FA Cups, and a European Cup Winners’ Cup. Legends like Dixie Dean, Alan Ball, Neville Southall, and Leighton Baines all graced the Goodison turf. The 1984–85 season under Howard Kendall is often hailed as the pinnacle, with the Toffees clinching the league and European success.

However, as the years passed, Goodison began to show its age. With limited space for modern expansion and increasing maintenance costs, the club announced plans to move to a new state-of-the-art stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. Construction began in 2021, with the move planned for the 2025–26 season.

On 18 May 2025, after 132 years of history, Goodison Park hosted its final competitive match. In an emotional farewell, Everton faced already relegated Southampton in the penultimate home game of the 2024–25 Premier League season. The Toffees secured a 2–0 victory thanks to Iliman Ndiaye's double first-half strikes. The match wasn’t just about the result—it was a celebration of memories, with past players paraded on the pitch, and thousands of fans bidding goodbye to a stadium that had become a second home.

Tears, chants, and applause rang around Goodison as the final whistle blew. Supporters held up scarves in tribute, and a commemorative light show cast a nostalgic glow over the old terraces. The occasion was steeped in both pride and sadness—the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new chapter.

Goodison Park leaves behind a legacy of working-class roots, community spirit, and footballing heritage. Though the team moves on, the memories of matchdays at Goodison—of roaring crowds, foggy floodlit nights, and last-minute winners—will live forever in the hearts of Evertonians.

Previous Visits

21.10.2006 – Everton 2-0 Sheffield United