Kieran Maguire predicts ‘mixed response’ from Everton fans after seeing 777 Partners plans for new stadium
777 Partners’ plans to make the new Everton stadium “far more commercial” will be met by a “mixed response” from the supporters, predicts Kieran Maguire.
The University of Liverpool lecturer said on The Price of Football on 9 November that after seeing the investment pitch from the club’s prospective new owners he expects there to be concern among some over how much of the increased capacity of the new dock-side development will benefit local fans.
Goodison Park currently has a capacity of just over 39,000 while the still-to-be-completed new home will seat 52,888, but Maguire speculated, having seen the investment pitch, that 777 may be looking to “chase the tourist dollar” if their purchase from Farhad Moshiri goes through.
Maguire said (23m): “It is indicative that they [777] seem very confident, and they say that the new stadium will be far more commercial, far more hospitality-based, which I think will result in a mixed response from Evertonians.
“The pragmatic element of the fanbase says, ‘Well, it’s modern football, it has to go along with it.’ I think the downside will be that Evertonians will be saying, ‘How many of the increase in tickets are going to local people in the form of season tickets, or is the club going to try to get loads and loads of walk-ups with a view to chasing the tourist dollar?’.”
Pros and cons
While a lot of the questions surrounding the proposed takeover of Everton seem to be filled with pitfalls that are specific to this club, the potential displeasure over the stadium plans sound far more universal in modern football.
Top clubs, ever looking to maximise revenue, particularly in the Premier League, are essentially now global brands rather than the hub of the local community that most once were.
In many ways the Toffees, for a club of this size, have managed to retain the traditional significance to the surrounding area more than most.
But the debate on whether to compromise those values in order to compete at the top table is one that is sure not to have a universal right answer within the fanbase, just as others who have already gone that way will have large swathes of the fanbase who feel uncomfortable about it despite the benefits.
It would certainly be a huge shame if Everton lost their identity entirely and became the sort of homogenous corporate entity that more and more seem to be slipping towards, but shunning the possibility to make more money entirely would necessarily put the club at a disadvantage when it comes to transfers and contracts.
It is therefore vital for the new owners, whether that proves to ultimately be 777 or not, to strike the right balance between the two ideals.
However, it sounds like Josh Wander, Steve Pasko and company might be heavily focused in one direction more than the other, which won’t be a problem at all for some fans but is bound to be a major concern for others.
In other Everton news, a talkSPORT pundit was left stunned by the grand claim of one Toffees supporter live on air, asking “are you joking?”