‘It’s ours’ – Everton women ready to call Goodison home | OneFootball

Everton will play their home games at Goodison Park from this weekend moving forward

Goodison Park begins a new chapter as Everton women take full ownership of a stadium rich in history and step forward with pride and ambition into their future.

A historic day for Everton women

Everton face Tottenham Hotspur in the Women’s Super League on Sunday at 14:30 BST, but for the hosts this fixture carries much more significance. For the first time, Goodison Park will not just be a borrowed stage. It will be the permanent home of Everton women.

The Toffees have stepped out at the famous ground before, most memorably beating Liverpool 1-0 in the Merseyside derby in November 2024. Yet on each of those occasions the team were guests in a venue long defined by the men’s side. Now, following the men’s move to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Liverpool’s waterfront, Goodison Park is set to begin a new chapter as the largest dedicated women’s stadium in England.

For defender Kenzie Weir, the shift feels especially personal. Her father, former Scotland international David Weir, made more than 250 appearances for Everton between 1999 and 2007. She recalls standing on the pitch as a child and soaking in the atmosphere. This time, she says, “it’s ours.”

Goodison Park’s new chapter

The future of Goodison Park once looked very different. Under former owner Farhad Moshiri, the plan was to demolish the ground and redevelop the site with housing, retail units and a care home while preserving the centre circle, where Everton legend Dixie Dean’s ashes are scattered.

That vision changed after the Friedkin Group took control of the club in December 2024. Instead of demolition, the stadium was earmarked as a cornerstone of Everton’s women’s project. With seating for nearly 40,000, modifications have been made to suit a growing audience. Club branding now covers parts of the Main Stand, Bullens Road Stand and Gwladys Street End. Minor concourse adjustments have also been introduced, along with new flow routes for supporters and trials allowing alcohol in the stands.

A concept image of what Goodison Park will look like for Everton women on a matchday

CEO Hannah Forshaw emphasised the importance of listening to supporters while respecting the ground’s tradition. “This is not just bricks and mortar. That’s a stadium with a soul that means a lot to a lot of people,” she said.

Building a team for the future

Head coach Brian Sorensen believes the ground already feels like home. He praised the balance between renovation and heritage, noting the pride players take from walking past historic quotes in the tunnels. “We are inheriting something historical and we need to make sure we play with a lot of pride,” he said.

Everton once sat among the elite of the women’s game, winning the league in 1998 and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in 2011. But under Moshiri’s ownership the side struggled to keep pace with dominant clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Since 2016 they have not finished higher than fifth in the league.

The Friedkin Group, however, bring experience from success in the women’s game with Roma. Nine new players joined this summer, including Ornella Vignola, who scored a debut hat-trick at Anfield. Forshaw is optimistic but realistic, stressing the club will not “win the league in season one.”

Sorensen sees the move to Goodison as a powerful recruitment tool, telling agents and players that the stability and ambition of the project make Everton an attractive destination.

Honouring the past while creating new memories

For Weir and her team-mates, the weight of history at Goodison Park provides both pressure and inspiration. The men’s side lifted 24 trophies there, including eight First Division titles. She believes it is now the women’s responsibility to add their own chapters to that story.

“It’s exciting for us to see this new chapter and hopefully push on this season and the next few seasons,” she said. “The history is still there, and the memories are still there. It’s our job to take on that task and give them more history.”