Everton make announcement over first major sporting event at new stadium

Everton make announcement over first major sporting event at new stadium

The first major non-football event at the new Everton Stadium has been confirmed with the Blues' future home hosting a rugby league Ashes test between England and Australia

Everton have confirmed the first major non-football event at their new stadium. The Blues’ future home will host a rugby league Ashes test between England and Australia on November 1 with the fixture returning after a 22-year absence.

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Having played at Goodison Park, the first purpose-built football ground in England, since 1892, Everton’s will relocate to their new 52,888 stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock after their fixture against Southampton in May.

The Mersey waterfront venue will host the second test with the three-match series starting at Wembley Stadium London on October 25 and ending at AMT Headingley in Leeds on November 8. The matches will be played on three consecutive Saturday afternoons – with each kicking off at 2.30pm and shown live on BBC One in the UK.

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Season ticket and premium members at Everton Stadium will have the opportunity of securing their tickets or access to the bars, restaurants and experiences for the historic fixture as part of the priority sales window. Members will be contacted by email to confirm how they can secure their seats in the coming days.

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With huge demand expected, other interested parties are urged to pre-register before 11:59pm on Tuesday, April 1 for early access to the best-priced tickets through a priority window opening on Wednesday, April 2 (12pm) before they go on general sale on April 14.

Before then, England’s most loyal supporters will have the first opportunity to secure their tickets in a 48-hour priority window opening Monday, March 31 – with anyone who has bought a ticket for an England international in the last decade, including the Rugby League World Cup in 2022, able to purchase tickets for any of the three Tests.

Colin Chong, Everton’s interim chief executive officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Rugby League Ashes series to Everton Stadium this autumn.

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“As well as being home to Everton, our new stadium was built to also host world-class sporting and entertainment events. Securing an international fixture of this magnitude demonstrates Everton Stadium’s status as one of the UK’s leading venues.

“The rivalry between England and Australia in rugby league has a rich history, and we are excited to welcome fans of the sport to our city and our stadium which will offer an unforgettable experience in a state-of-the-art setting on the banks of the River Mersey.”

In addition to this Ashes test, the first major non-footballing event to be announced at Everton Stadium, the stadium has already been selected as a host venue for UEFA Euro 2028.

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The Rugby League Ashes date back to 1908, with the name adopted from cricket for the inaugural series. Australian dominance was a factor in the decision to move away from Ashes series in favour of Four Nations competitions from 2004, and a previous attempt to revive the rivalry in 2020 was scuppered by the Covid pandemic.

Rhodri Jones, Rugby League commercial managing director, said: “This is the news we’ve all been waiting for – everyone in the England set-up, and tens of thousands of England rugby league fans. We welcome back Mal Meninga and the Kangaroos to England for an Ashes series, and we have three fantastic venues which will showcase the very best of International Rugby League.

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“After 22 years this is rivalry reignited that will have a truly national resonance as England look to regain the Rugby League Ashes.”

Everton has history with rugby league as Goodison Park staged a match during the Kangaroos’ first-ever tour of England in 1908, won 10-9 by the tourists, and between 1909 and 1921 hosted three more Kangaroos visits. The current standings in the Ashes series are Australia 20 wins, England 19 so everything is to play for.

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