The first Everton Stadium test event takes place today (Monday, 17 February) in front of a capacity of 10,000 spectators.
Kick off for this historic game at Bramley Moore Dock (an Under-18s friendly fixture against Wigan Athletic) will be 7pm, with road closures around the £500m venue to begin at 5pm (see below).
To coincide with the venue hosting its first match, a new experimental parking zone for the area around the 52,888 capacity stadium and the city’s north docks (see the map here) also goes live today.
Established under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), the zone is subject to a public consultation to gain feedback from residents and businesses.
The new parking measures also aim to tackle the issue of commuter parking that impacts businesses in the area all year round. And with major plans afoot to regenerate and grow this part of north Liverpool, this issue needs to be addressed.
Although it goes live today, the new parking scheme becomes fully operational when the 2025/26 football season begins in August.
There are two key points about the ETRO:
- It allows the Council to monitor and evaluate the scheme’s effectiveness, and modify it, if necessary, before making the measures permanent.
- These measures can run for a maximum of 18 months (expiring in August 2026) but that does not mean changes have to wait until then.
For example, although it states the number of permits per business will be set at 10, we will consider any request for more permits on a case-by-case basis.
You can have your say on this ETRO in our quick survey at: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/BramleyMooreParking/ and if you have any further questions, please email: bramleymooredockETRO@liverpool.gov.uk
All travel options for today’s first test game are outlined below.
A second test game is being scheduled for late March/early April, which will see 25,000 fans use all four stands of the waterfront stadium.
ROAD CLOSURES:
Road closures will be in place two hours before kick-off on the main approach roads to the stadium: Waterloo Road, Regent Road, Ten Streets Area, roads surrounding Wellington Employment Park, and roads south of Bankfield Street.
These roads will also be closed from final whistle until crowds have dispersed. Sandhills Lane will be closed following the final whistle at Sandhills Station to assist in crowd management.
Supporters travelling by car are advised to avoid these closure areas.
WALKING to the stadium:
Road closures in place on surrounding streets will create a safe walking route for supporters on approach to Everton Stadium.
Both Regent Road and Waterloo Road will be closed to general traffic between the city centre and Bankfield Street to assist pedestrian safety, as well as much of the Ten Streets area.
Sandhills Lane will also be closed to traffic in the post-match period to assist with crowd movement.
Supporters crossing the Bascule Bridge on Regent Road will be managed by stewards in attendance, with a flow-system in place for safety reasons.
BY TRAIN:
Merseyrail services will be running to normal timetables.
The closest station is Sandhills, which is approximately a 15-minute walk from the stadium entrance.
Please note: The Old Hall Street entrance of Moorfields station in Liverpool city centre is only open until 7pm on Monday 17 February.
A new fan management area will be in operation adjacent to Sandhills in the post-match period, to aid the expected increase in numbers of rail users.
Sandhills Lane will be closed to general vehicle traffic in the post-match period to assist with crowd movement.
BY SHUTTLE BUS:
There will be three commercially-operated shuttle bus services operating for the first test event, running from two hours before kick-off and from 15 minutes from the final whistle, but not during the match. The fare is a standard £2 single fare, and these routes are as follows:
· 919 Service from / to Commutation Row / Lime Street
City Centre Pick up & Drop Off: Commutation Row
Stadium Drop off: Great Howard Street at Blackstone Street
Stadium Pick Up: Great Howard Street at Bentinck Street
· 929 Service from / to Liverpool One Bus Station
City Centre Pick Up & Drop Off: Liverpool One Bus Station
Stadium Drop off: Great Howard Street at Blackstone Street
Stadium Pick Up: Great Howard Street, north of Denbigh Street
· 939 Service from / to Bootle Strand Bus Station
Bootle Pick-Up & Drop Off: Bootle Bus Station, Washington Parade (Strand Shopping Centre). Please note, the Strand Shopping Centre Multi-Storey Car Park (MSCP) will be open late to accommodate supporters wishing to park in Bootle to use the dedicated Shuttle Bus (MSCP location – Vermont Way, Bootle, L20 4XZ).
Stadium Drop Off: Derby Road at Wellington Employment Park, north of Blackstone Street
Stadium Pick Up: Derby Road, north of Boundary Street
ACCESSIBLE SHUTTLE SERVICE:
A free shuttle bus service will operate for supporters with accessible needs between Sandhills Station (Sandhills Lane) and Boundary Street (around 175 metres from Everton Stadium), before and after the first test event. This service must be booked in advance by contacting the Accessibility Team at Everton on 0151 556 1878 (option 1, then 2, followed by 3).
The 919, 929 and 939 shuttle buses, outlined above, also stop at stadium bus stops and Boundary St (at Royal Crest Hotel), for those with limited mobility.
TAXIS:
There will be three nearby taxi ranks. All three ranks lie outside of the road closures (outlined below) and are for black/Hackney cabs only. These are located at:
· Sandhills Station
· Boundary Street, near junction with Shadwell Street
· Dublin Street
BY BICYCLE:
Cycle parking stands are available for supporters to use. These are located along the Regent Road/dock wall inside the stadium footprint. Bikes are left at the owner’s risk.
No access to the stadium for supporters to collect their cycles will be possible once the stadium closes post-match.
Supporters are advised not to cycle within the road closure areas through crowds of supporters.
BY CAR:
Supporters are advised that road closures and parking restrictions will be in place in the vicinity of the stadium for the first test event and are advised not to drive directly to the stadium.
Please DO NOT park on residential and industrial streets surrounding the stadium, as parking enforcement will be in operation. Any illegally parked cars will incur a fine.
Supporters travelling by car are advised to use car parks in the vicinity of the city centre or Bootle Strand for onward travel to Everton Stadium by train, shuttle bus, or on foot. The Strand Shopping Centre Multi-Storey Car Park, located at Vermont Way, Bootle, L20 4XZ, will be open late to accommodate supporters attending the test event.
There is limited accessible car parking on site at Everton Stadium, which is now fully booked. Supporters with accessibility requirements who have already been allocated car parking for the first test event are advised to arrive no later than one hour before kick-off as access through closed roads will be denied.
