Everton have agreed a deal to allow Preston North End to host their first-round Carabao Cup match against Huddersfield Town at Goodison Park.
It will be the first time Goodison Park has played host to a men’s match since Everton’s win over Southampton at the end of the 2024/25 season, in which Iliman Ndiaye scored twice.
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Goodison has continued to host games for Everton Women, but next month it will see Preston and Huddersfield contest their first-round Carabao Cup match due to Deepdale Park having pitch renovations.
Preston say via their official website that they applied to the EFL for permission to play at the alternative venue ‘due to the installation of the new hybrid pitch at Deepdale’. The renovation is costing Preston over £1.5 million.
For supporters of Preston and Huddersfield, it’ll be a chance for many to take a trip to an iconic ground, but how much money could Everton actually make here?
Everton set for small windfall from Preston vs Huddersfield at Goodison Park
Of course, with Everton allowing this, a payment will have been made to the club.
But GRV Media’s Head of Football Finance & Governance Content Adam Williams has suggested to Everton News that the hosting fee would be relatively small.
He said: “The actual rental fee will be very small. The novelty for both sets of fans of playing at a historic stadium like Goodison Park might boost the attendance a bit, but gate receipts for a first-round Carabao Cup game are usually tiny.
“Plus, from Preston’s perspective, they have to hand over 45 percent of their profits from the matchday after costs to the away team. Because Preston would still officially be the home team, that same rule would apply.
“I’d be surprised if Preston were willing to pay over £100,000, excluding the costs of utilities, stewarding and so on. And it might well be significantly less than that.”
Goodison Park still has financial potential
So while this game between Preston and Huddersfield won’t make a massive impact on Everton’s revenues, there is potential for Everton’s old ground to make a bit more money down the line.
Williams added: “It will be very interesting, however, to see what direction Everton go in with Goodison in the long term. Obviously, they are staging the Women’s team’s games there now. Attendances are modest.
“Hopefully that can grow as a revenue stream, but – like pretty much every team across the men’s and women’s games – it is a loss-maker at present. If they can also position Goodison as a neutral venue for, say, country cup finals, the Sunday League FA Cup and so on, that could be interesting. For the big events, the Hill Dickinson Stadium will obviously sweep up.
“You’re talking pretty tiny revenues in the grand scheme of things at Goodison, but the Friedkins must feel that it is commercially viable. Otherwise, they would demolish it and sell the land. You’d get a few million for it. They aren’t keeping it open out of sentiment.”
At the moment, there is nothing in the pipeline regarding non-football events for Goodison.
But as Williams suggests, perhaps The Friedkin Group will look to get it hosting smaller football events on a more regular basis.
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