Bainsey
Player Valuation: £20m
Everton Chief Executive Keith Wyness has stressed the importance of making a new stadium a reality as soon as possible.
The Club is preparing a ballot of 40,000 supporters to gauge the feeling of fans regarding a possible move to a new home in Kirkby.
The stadium development is part of a three-way partnership with Knowsley Council and Tesco - and could provide Everton with a new state-of-the-art home as early as 2010 and at a cost to the Club of as little as £10m.
There have been calls from Liverpool City Council for the Blues to remain in their council controlled area, but the Everton chief executive has stressed the problems posed by sites in the Liverpool City Council area.
He said: "Kirkby is the front-runner, it is a firm offer and it is deliverable. The problem with the options put forward by Liverpool is that they are light on detail and there are no firm offers on the table. As a club, we are at a crucial time and we have to make a decision as soon as possible.
"Knowsley is one of the fastest-growing areas in Liverpool and it was created from what was a major overspill development for Liverpool people, mainly from the Scotland Road area. It is an arbitrary boundary and I am sure that when our fans look at what is on offer, they will realise the benefits of this proposal. Within a few years, we will see the creation of the Liverpool city region that will embrace the new ground. We are taking a decision for the future of the club.
"I am disappointed that Warren has described our plan as a cow shed. It will be a high-quality premiership stadium with a very traditional feel to it and to use that description is a little below the belt.
"If we end up staying in Goodison Park, we will be left behind because top-level football is racing forward. There will be problems for the club if we stay where we are.
"The club spent a year working with Liverpool City Council and their consultants before we even started talking to Knowsley. There are tests we have to apply to any new site. It has to provide around 500,000 sq ft of retail and commercial space."
Reports in the local media on Saturday have suggested that the vote is the obstacle standing in the way of the go-ahead on the project, with the possibility of contracts being signed in September and buidling work commencing as early as early 2008 depending on the planning hurdles being cleared quickly.
The financial implications of the move for Everton are also something Mr Wyness has looked at in great detail - and believes provides another key reason for making the new stadium a reality.
He added: "The project is going to cost around £150m, but Everton will only be faced with a debt of between £10m and £15m, which is relatively nothing these days when the result is a brand new stadium. Tesco are putting in £50m towards the cost of the stadium, but they have negotiated a deal with their own contractors. This means we will be getting a stadium building that would otherwise have cost £75m. There is then the cost of fitting out the new stadium. The sale of Goodison Park will realise up to £15m and naming rights will earn us up to £25m. That will leave the club to fund the balance of the fitting out costs and we think that could be as low as £10m.
'THE problem in Liverpool is that, because of the vast regeneration of the city, costs have risen and in a way the city is a victim of its own success.
"Even so, there are no firm options for us in Liverpool. Even the council's own consultants ruled out the Long Lane option because of traffic issues. There are far too many 'what if's' with the Liverpool options. It is also highly possible that Grosvenor will have a view on any major retail development close to the city centre and their own redevelopment site.
"My belief is that when Everton fans study all of the facts, they will support our move to the Kirkby site. Some may well vote yes grudgingly, but they will still support it. They will realise we have to look at the future of the club.
"The Kirkby project arose because we as a club had talked to the council about various matters and, during those talks, a conversation emerged about the need of Kirkby town centre to grow and improve, Sir Terry Leahy (Tesco chief executive and an Everton supporter) became involved and the talk was of a three-way partnership. Knowsley has a can-do attitude and that helped a lot. Sir Terry and the Tesco board see this as a hard-nosed business decision. It is nothing to do with Sir Terry's involvement with Everton."
The Club is preparing a ballot of 40,000 supporters to gauge the feeling of fans regarding a possible move to a new home in Kirkby.
The stadium development is part of a three-way partnership with Knowsley Council and Tesco - and could provide Everton with a new state-of-the-art home as early as 2010 and at a cost to the Club of as little as £10m.
There have been calls from Liverpool City Council for the Blues to remain in their council controlled area, but the Everton chief executive has stressed the problems posed by sites in the Liverpool City Council area.
He said: "Kirkby is the front-runner, it is a firm offer and it is deliverable. The problem with the options put forward by Liverpool is that they are light on detail and there are no firm offers on the table. As a club, we are at a crucial time and we have to make a decision as soon as possible.
"Knowsley is one of the fastest-growing areas in Liverpool and it was created from what was a major overspill development for Liverpool people, mainly from the Scotland Road area. It is an arbitrary boundary and I am sure that when our fans look at what is on offer, they will realise the benefits of this proposal. Within a few years, we will see the creation of the Liverpool city region that will embrace the new ground. We are taking a decision for the future of the club.
"I am disappointed that Warren has described our plan as a cow shed. It will be a high-quality premiership stadium with a very traditional feel to it and to use that description is a little below the belt.
"If we end up staying in Goodison Park, we will be left behind because top-level football is racing forward. There will be problems for the club if we stay where we are.
"The club spent a year working with Liverpool City Council and their consultants before we even started talking to Knowsley. There are tests we have to apply to any new site. It has to provide around 500,000 sq ft of retail and commercial space."
Reports in the local media on Saturday have suggested that the vote is the obstacle standing in the way of the go-ahead on the project, with the possibility of contracts being signed in September and buidling work commencing as early as early 2008 depending on the planning hurdles being cleared quickly.
The financial implications of the move for Everton are also something Mr Wyness has looked at in great detail - and believes provides another key reason for making the new stadium a reality.
He added: "The project is going to cost around £150m, but Everton will only be faced with a debt of between £10m and £15m, which is relatively nothing these days when the result is a brand new stadium. Tesco are putting in £50m towards the cost of the stadium, but they have negotiated a deal with their own contractors. This means we will be getting a stadium building that would otherwise have cost £75m. There is then the cost of fitting out the new stadium. The sale of Goodison Park will realise up to £15m and naming rights will earn us up to £25m. That will leave the club to fund the balance of the fitting out costs and we think that could be as low as £10m.
'THE problem in Liverpool is that, because of the vast regeneration of the city, costs have risen and in a way the city is a victim of its own success.
"Even so, there are no firm options for us in Liverpool. Even the council's own consultants ruled out the Long Lane option because of traffic issues. There are far too many 'what if's' with the Liverpool options. It is also highly possible that Grosvenor will have a view on any major retail development close to the city centre and their own redevelopment site.
"My belief is that when Everton fans study all of the facts, they will support our move to the Kirkby site. Some may well vote yes grudgingly, but they will still support it. They will realise we have to look at the future of the club.
"The Kirkby project arose because we as a club had talked to the council about various matters and, during those talks, a conversation emerged about the need of Kirkby town centre to grow and improve, Sir Terry Leahy (Tesco chief executive and an Everton supporter) became involved and the talk was of a three-way partnership. Knowsley has a can-do attitude and that helped a lot. Sir Terry and the Tesco board see this as a hard-nosed business decision. It is nothing to do with Sir Terry's involvement with Everton."
