Goodison Park
|
|
Goodison Park is the home ground of Everton F.C. in Liverpool. It has a total capacity of 40,103 all-seated. Built in 1892, it is one of the oldest football grounds in the world and was the first major football stadium in England and is nicknamed the Grand Old Lady. The world's first cantilever stand was built at Goodison in 1971 and it is the only British sports ground ever to have double-decker stands on all 4 sides. It was also the first English league ground to have undersoil heating. In 1913 it became the first English football ground to be visited by a ruling monarch, King George V.
The ground is situated in a tightly-packed residential district, which has made expansion of the ground extremely difficult, if not impossible. One corner of the ground is actually formed by a church, St Luke the Evangelist's.
The ground staged 5 matches including a semi-final for the 1966 World Cup, the final for the 1894 FA Cup and the FA Cup Final replay in 1910. Everton have hosted more international matches than any other English club. It was also, in 1949, the site of England's first ever defeat to a non-Home Nations country, namely the Republic of Ireland.
The biggest attendance ever recorded was 78,299 against Liverpool on September 18, 1948.
The greatest match the stadium has ever held, according to voters at Everton's official website, was a European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich in 1985. Munich, leading at half time, were defeated by three second half Everton goals from Andy Gray, Graeme Sharp and Trevor Steven
There was talk of the club moving to a new stadium at the King's Dock, however financial barrier prevented any work on this scheme. In late 2004, representatives from the club met with representatives of their local rivals Liverpool F.C. and the Sports Minister to discuss plans to build a joint stadium. However, this proposal was rejected by both clubs. This leaves Everton with the decision to either build a new stadium on their own, or try and rebuild Goodison Park.
External links
Toffeeweb History of Goodison Park (http://www.toffeeweb.com/club/goodison/gp-history.asp)pl:Goodison Park