Everton staged their final pre-season game at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday and it was the first time they were allowed to fill their capacity.
The Toffees suffered a 1-0 defeat to Roma, but they were competitive and it was a much improved performance from previous friendlies.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall received a standing ovation from the crowd, as he made a really good impression on his debut.
David Moyes praised Dewsbury-Hall after the game, explaining that he brought real quality during his 61 minutes on the pitch.
Much of the reaction was of course about the stadium, though, and Everton fans have had their say on their first experience at the 52,000-seater.
- READ MORE: What David Moyes truly thinks about the new Hill Dickinson Stadium after first outing vs Roma
Everton fans share their experience at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium
Everton fans have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share the positives and negatives they experienced at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
@efc_chxrlie posted: “My only criticism would be the queuing. I was at turnstile 2 in the West stand and I didn’t make it inside until 12 mins into kick off. Seemed like almost every other turnstile was fine to go in by.”
@MartinC52503924 said: “Queues were incredible, minimum waiting time 20-30mins if lucky..!! Heard people complaining that they waited close to 45mins missed 20mins of 2nd half.”
@ImAlexPrince admitted: “The stadium is fantastic. Spent far too much time queuing though and the concourses were rammed. Needs sorting otherwise people will spend all their money outside the stadium.”
“Not to be bias but it might be the best stadium ever built,” @_LV2__ said.
Everton’s new stadium will be transformative for finances
Everton’s new stadium could bank them an extra £40m in revenue every year, so quite clearly, it will be transformative for finances.
Everton’s naming rights deal is worth around £6m-a-year, so that alone is substantial cash they weren’t previously receiving.
All of this means that in time, the Toffees will be able to spend much more in forthcoming transfer windows without the worry of PSR restrictions.
Moyes is aiming to qualify for Europe, so he will need to be backed with substantial finances in the market.
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