Match Report: fcbusiness Gets A First Look At Everton’s New Hill Dickinson Stadium  

Everton FC staged the historic first Premier League match at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday 24th August. Brighton and Hove Albion were defeated 2-0 amidst a true carnival occasion before 51,759 fans. The facilities were highly praised by all spectators present.

But what was the event like to attend from a press/media perspective? fcbusiness sent reporter Tony Incenzo to record a matchday diary…

Pre-Match

Everton’s assistant media manager Rob Urbani helpfully emailed all members of the press in advance outlining details of car parking, media accreditation collection, access to the media centre and seating area, the wi-fi code, media catering and arrangements for the post-match interviews and press conference. An explanatory video was provided too. Separate provision was outlined for photographers.

Matchday

11am – I arrived three hours ahead of the scheduled kick-off. Media parking was at an industrial unit just five minutes’ walk from the stadium main entrance.

11.05am – I collected my media accreditation lanyard at a gate in the Regent Road wall which encloses the stadium. From there, it was a brisk walk across the busy supporters’ plaza around to the other side of the arena.

11.15am – I signed in at the media entrance and picked up a copy of the magnificent matchday souvenir programme.

11.20am – Everton’s enthusiastic PR Manager Darren Bentley was on hand to give all journalists and broadcasters a warm welcome. He took me for a guided tour of the spacious media working area, media dining room, mixed zone for player quotes and the post-match media theatre for manager interviews. Darren is like a walking encyclopedia of Everton FC knowledge, and he fascinated me with tales of how the stadium had been built on reclaimed land in the River Mersey.

12 noon – I relished a delicious media lunch consisting of lasagne and chips followed by lemon meringue.

1pm – Teamsheets were distributed an hour before kick-off. I noted with interest that new signing Jack Grealish was making his home debut for Everton.

1.15pm – Time to make my way up to the media seating. This is located on Level Three of the West Stand, covering the back two rows of the upper tier. Access is via lifts or escalators.

1.20pm – I admired the breath-taking view of the pitch. The Hill Dickinson Stadium has been constructed so even those of us on the back row feel close to the action. There are individual television sets on the press box tables – therefore reporters can immediately check replays of crucial moments in the game.

1.30pm – Tremendous pre-match entertainment on giant screens at either end included interviews with Jack Grealish and the stadium architect Dan Meis. In fact, Meis revealed his very first visionary sketch of the Hill Dickinson Stadium was on the back of a napkin during a meeting!

1.55pm – The teams emerged to the tune of Everton’s traditional Z-Cars theme. The public address acoustics are fantastic and Evertonian supporters roared their team on to the pitch.

2pm – Kick-off. The atmosphere was absolutely electric. What a great place to watch football!

2.23pm – Grealish crossed from the left and Iliman Ndiaye scored the first Premier League goal at Everton’s new home on 23 minutes. 1-0.

2.46pm – Half-time. Hot/cold drinks and chocolate bars were available for media members on the concourse.

3.13pm – James Garner’s fierce low strike doubled Everton’s lead in the 52nd minute. 2-0.

3.35pm – 74 minutes played and Everton keeper Jordan Pickford saved Danny Welbeck’s penalty.

3.58pm – Full-time 2-0. I noticed how quickly the stadium cleared after the final whistle. All down to the design which means no long queues on the exit stairs.

4.10pm – I joined the other reporters for post-match managerial press conferences in the excellent air-conditioned media theatre.

4.20pm – Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hürzeler emerged to say: “There are some details we need to improve on if we want to win games like this. We created some big chances and could have scored so the dynamic of the match might have been different. But the result doesn’t lie, and we must do better.”

4.35pm – Next up is Everton boss David Moyes who said: “Today felt different with it being the first match at our new home. It was all about the people who put the work and effort in to create the new stadium in trying to find a way to move this club forward. This is a huge step for Everton Football Club. What we need to do now is to build a really strong team.”

5pm – I departed the Hill Dickinson Stadium at the end of a very enjoyable day. My overall impression was that the media experience is extremely good with every possible need catered for. All the other reporters I spoke to agreed.

My thanks to Everton officials Darren Bentley, Rob Urbani and Darren Griffiths for their assistance in compiling this article.

Main Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Additional Images: Tony Incenzo