The Venue – 17th EFDN Conference
The 17th EFDN Conference is set to take place in the home city of two EFDN members in Liverpool on the 9th and 10th of May 2022. EFDN members Liverpool FC and Everton FC will host the Conference in Anfield and Goodison Park. The two stadiums are separated by one big park, Stanley Park. It’s less than a kilometer walk from one venue to the other.
Liverpool – a footballing city
Liverpool is one of the most successful footballing cities in England, and is home to two top-flight Premier League teams. Everton F.C. was founded in 1878 and play at Goodison Park and Liverpool F.C. was founded in 1892 and play at Anfield. Between them, the clubs have won 28 English First Division titles, 12 FA Cup titles, 10 League Cup titles, 6 European Cup titles, 1 European Cup Winners’ Cup title, 3 UEFA Cup titles, and 24 FA Charity Shields. The two clubs contest the Merseyside derby, dubbed the ‘friendly derby’. Despite the name the fixture is known for its keen rivalry, having seen more sending-offs in this fixture than any other. Unlike many other derbies it is not rare for families in the city to contain supporters of both clubs
Goodison Park
After leaving Anfield in 1892, Everton moved to Goodison Park on the opposite side of Stanley Park. The ground was opened on 24 August 1892, by Lord Kinnaird and Frederick Wall of the FA but the first crowds to attend the ground saw a short athletics meeting followed by a selection of music and a fireworks display. Everton’s first game there was on 2 September 1892 when they beat Bolton 4–2. It now has the capacity for just under 40,000 spectators all-seated, but the last expansion took place in 1994 when a new goal-end stand gave the stadium an all-seater capacity. The Main Stand dates back to the 1970s, while the other two stands are refurbished pre-Second World War structures.
Everton is currently in the process of relocating, with a stadium move mooted as early as 1996. In 2003, the club was forced to abandon plans for a 55,000-seat stadium at King’s Dock due to financial constraints, with further proposed moves to Kirkby (moving the stadium just beyond Liverpool’s council boundary into Kirkby) and Walton Hall Park similarly scrapped. The latest plan is a move to nearby Bramley-Moore Dock on Liverpool’s waterfront, with ground broken on the project in August 2021.
Anfield
Liverpool F.C. is the English and British club with the most European Cup titles with six, the latest in 2019.
Liverpool has played at Anfield since 1892, when the club was formed to occupy the stadium following Everton’s departure due to a dispute with their landlord. Liverpool FC is still playing there 125 years later, although the ground has been completely rebuilt since the 1970s. The Spion Kop (rebuilt as an all-seater stand in 1994–95) was the most famous part of the ground, gaining cult status across the world due to the songs and celebrations of the many fans who packed onto its terraces. Anfield is classified as a 4 Star UEFA Elite Stadium with a capacity for 54,000 spectators in comfort and is a distinctive landmark in an area filled with smaller and older buildings.
