Everton stadium campaign praised by academics and marketers

More than 20,000 people responded to the first consultation. While the second enabled fans to experience a VR fly over and fly through the stadium as well as standing in the centre circle.

“Everton’s consultation and engagement has seen them live up to their reputation as the People’s Club. There has been a real rigour and depth to their engagement over the last two years – so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their plans have been received so well,” said Professor Michael Parkinson, Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Civic Engagement at the University of Liverpool and an advisor to national governments and the European Commission on urban affairs.

“The Club has acted in a clear and transparent way and genuinely reached out to fans, the business community and local people to ensure that the dialogue around the scheme is meaningful and in-depth. Some of the immersive technologies they have used to bring their plans to life, coupled with the breadth and depth of the engagement activities can provide valuable lessons for organisations undertaking engagement and consultation processes.”

Chris Brady, Director of the Centre for Sport Business at Salford University, as well as an independent commissioner on the Football Regulatory Authority added:

“The terms `engagement’ and ‘consultation’ are often bandied about as soundbites, but Everton have actually taken the terms very seriously in developing their plans for their new stadium. They have involved fans, residents, businesses and even members of the public who have no interest in football but who understand the positive effect such a development can have on the local community. 

“All of the various stakeholders have been made to understand that they are fellow travellers on this arduous journey and that their views and support are central to the success of the project. The credit for this inclusive approach must go to the Club and, indeed, the way Everton have gone about this project could be seen as a model for how such huge civil engineering developments should be approached in the future.”

The results from the second stage public consultation are currently being analysed and fed into the stadium design team. Prior to the submission of the planning applications, the Club will reveal the final designs for a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock and a community-led legacy at Goodison Park.

These are expected before the end of the year.

The event returns on Wednesday October 23rd