Stadia

Client:Everton FC

Brief:Project Review on the viability of proposals to develop a £160m multi-use stadium and arena at Kings Dock, Liverpool

Key areas of focus included;

• A review of proposed events/fixture programmes and the reality of programming randomly drawn home games in a multi-use arena with retractable roof and pitch. The analysis confirmed the difficulty of this in reality – especially in relation to relatively short notice cup fixtures
• Consideration of the nature and scale of proposed enabling development and potential conflicts between uses (i.e. home games and the significant amount of licensed premises proposed)
• A review of the local market for leisure, tourism and events
• liCritical analysis of the deal and the likely impact on Everton’s finances and operation

The outcome

We concluded the Stadium was not fit for purpose as proposed. It could not deliver what the business plan demanded – a flexible arena where football fitted around events.

The previous two due diligence teams had failed to notice the events programme did not stack up and would not fit around the vagaries of the football programme. The project was subsequently rightly abandoned by Everton FC and the search for a new stadium development site continues.