Goodison Park

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Lore & Background

The stadium was named Goodison Park because the length of the site was built against Goodison Road. The road was named after a civil engineer named George Goodison who provided a sewage report to the Walton Local Board in the mid-1800s, later becoming a local landowner. The Mere Green field was owned by Christopher Leyland with Everton renting until they were in a position to buy the site outright. Initially, the field needed work as parts of the site needed excavation, the field was levelled, a drainage system was installed and turf was laid. This work was considered to be a 'formidable initial expenditure' with local contractor Mr Barton contracted to work on the 29,471 square yards (25,000 m2) site at 4½d per square yard—a total cost of £552. A J. Prescott was brought in as an architectural advisor and surveyor. Walton-based building firm Kelly Brothers were instructed to erect two uncovered stands that could each accommodate 4,000 spectators. A third covered stand accommodating 3,000 spectators was also requested. The combined cost of these stands was £1,640.

In Their Own Story

On 15 September 1891, a general meeting took place at Royal Street Hall, near Everton Valley. Everton's chairman John Houlding proposed that a limited company be formed with the new company purchasing his land and local brewer Joseph Orrell's adjacent land for a combined £9,237. Liberal Party politician and Everton board member George Mahon fought the proposal putting forward his own amendment which was carried by the Everton board. A special general meeting was convened at the former Liverpool College building on Shaw Street on 25 January 1892. John Houlding's proposal was defeated once more with George Mahon suggesting that Everton relocate to another site. A heckler shouted, 'You can't find one!' Mahon responded: 'I have one in my pocket', revealing an option to lease Mere Green field, in Walton, Lancashire, the site of the current Goodison Park.

Reader's Guide

Goodison Park opened in 1892. It hosted the 1910 FA Cup Final, and was also a venue for the 1966 World Cup, in addition to hosting numerous other international fixtures. Everton relocated to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in 2025, and the stadium became the home of Everton Women. It has an all-seated capacity of 39,414. The stadium was built on a site that originally needed excavation, levelling, drainage, and turf. Two uncovered stands each accommodating 4,000 spectators and one covered stand accommodating 3,000 spectators were erected by Kelly Brothers at a combined cost of £1,640.

Did You Know?

• Goodison Park hosted the 1910 FA Cup Final replay between Newcastle United and Barnsley.
• Goodison Park was a venue for the 1966 World Cup.
• Everton is set to relocate to Everton Stadium (at Bramley-Moore Dock) for the 2025-26 season.
• The stadium was named after Goodison Road, which was named after civil engineer George Goodison.
• The site was originally called 'Mere Green Field' and was owned by Christopher Leyland.

Origins in Politics and Property

Everton originally played on an open pitch in the south-east corner of the newly laid out Stanley Park. The first official match following the renaming of the club from St. Domingo's to Everton was at Stanley Park, staged on 20 December 1879; St. Peter's was the opposition, and admission was free. In 1882, a man named J. Cruit donated land at Priory Road with the necessary facilities required for professional clubs, but asked the club to leave his land after two years because the crowds became too large and noisy. Everton moved to nearby Anfield Road, a site where proper covered stands were built. Everton played at the Anfield ground from 1884 until 1892. During this time the club turned professional, entering teams in the FA Cup. They became founding members of the Football League, winning their first championship at the ground in 1890–91. Anfield's capacity grew to over 20,000, with the club hosting an international match as England played against Ireland. During their time at Anfield, Everton became the first club to introduce goalnets to professional football. In the 1890s, a dispute about how the club was to be owned and run emerged with John Houlding, Anfield's majority owner and Everton's Chairman, at the forefront. Houlding disagreed with the club's committee initially disagreeing about the full purchase of the land at Anfield from minor land owner Mr Orrell escalating into a principled disagreement of how the club was run. Two such disagreements included Houlding wanting Everton to sell only his brewery products during an event and for the Everton players to use his public house The Sandon as changing room facilities. The most well-known of the disagreements concerns the level of increased rent Everton was asked to pay. In 1889, Everton paid £100 to Houlding in rent; by the 1889–90 season, this had risen to £250. Everton had to pay for all works and stands. The dispute escalated to a rent of £370 per year being demanded. The flashpoint was a covenant in the contract of land purchase by Houlding from Orrell causing further and deep friction. A strip of land at the Anfield ground bordering the adjacent land owned by Mr Orrell, could be used to provide a right of way access road for Orrell's landlocked vacant site. In early 1891, the club erected a stand on this now proposed roadway, which was also overlapping Orrell's land, unbeknown to the Everton Committee. In August 1891, Orrell announced intentions of developing his land next to the football ground, building an access road on the land owned by Houlding and occupied by Everton. Everton stated it knew nothing of the covenant; Houlding stated it did. This situation created great distrust, leading to friction between Houlding and the Everton Committee. The rift and distrust between the two parties was on three levels: Houlding's personal business intentions, politically and morally. Nevertheless, the club faced a dilemma of having to destroy the new revenue generating stand or compensate Orrell. Houlding's way around the problem was to propose a limited company with floatation of the club enabling the club to purchase Houlding's and Orrell's land outright, hoping to raise £12,000. Previous attempts to raise money from the community had failed miserably. This would have meant the club would need to find £6,000 in cash with an additional £4,875 mortgage. The Everton Committee initially accepted Houlding's proposal in principle, yet voted against it at a meeting. After much negotiating and brinkmanship on both sides Everton vacated Anfield, leaving Houlding with an empty stadium with no one to play in it. As a consequence, Houlding formed his own football club, Liverpool, to take up residence at the stadium. The clubs have differing versions of events of why it occurred.

The Evolution of Rivalry Intensity

For decades, this fierce local contest was paradoxically known as the 'friendly derby,' characterized by a unique lack of total fan segregation. It was common for families in Liverpool to support both clubs, fostering an atmosphere where supporters often mingled freely. This solidarity reached its zenith during the 1984 League Cup final and the 196 FA Cup final, where fans from opposing sides united to chant 'Merseyside' rather than antagonize one another. However, the dynamic shifted dramatically in the mid-1980s as on-field competition intensified. The rivalry transformed into a more aggressive confrontation, evidenced by a higher frequency of red cards compared to any other fixture since the Premier League's inception. While the 2010s saw a period where Liverpool dominated the encounters, making it arguably the most one-sided top-flight derby in English history, recent years have witnessed a resurgence in competitiveness. Despite Everton eventually relocating their home matches away from Goodison Park, the geographical proximity of the historic grounds across Stanley Park remains a potent symbol of this enduring and complex relationship.

The Kendall Era and Title Battles

The appointment of Howard Kendall as manager marked a pivotal turning point where Everton evolved from mid-table obscurity into a genuine threat to Liverpool's domestic supremacy. Initially, Kendall's early derbies yielded defeats, but by the 1984–85 season, his side had surged to challenge for the league title while Liverpool struggled near the relegation zone. This era produced some of the most dramatic clashes in history, including Everton securing a crucial 0–1 victory at Anfield and later defeating Liverpool 1–0 at Goodison Park to seal their championship status. The rivalry peaked during the 1985–86 campaign, described as an exceptionally exciting season where both clubs fought simultaneously for the league title and the FA Cup. This period highlighted a rare parity between the neighbors, with matches often decided by narrow margins or own goals, such as the Charity Shield victory for Everton. These years defined a golden age of Merseyside football where neither club could claim undisputed dominance, creating a thrilling narrative of two local giants battling for supremacy on both sides of Stanley Park.

Historical Context and Trophy Disparity

The broader history of this rivalry is punctuated by distinct eras of success and struggle that have shaped the competitive balance between the two clubs. During the 1960s, both Everton and Liverpool were regular winners of domestic trophies, establishing a foundation of mutual excellence. However, as the decades progressed, their trajectories diverged significantly; while Liverpool ascended to become a powerhouse in the 1970s and 1980s, Everton endured a barren fourteen-year spell without major silverware following their 1970 league title triumph. This disparity was evident in specific encounters, such as the 1982–83 season where Liverpool inflicted a heavy 5–0 defeat on Everton at Goodison Park while securing another championship. The narrative of the derby is thus not just about individual match results but reflects the fluctuating fortunes of two clubs that share a city yet operate in different cycles of glory and rebuilding, with the intensity of their matches often serving as a barometer for their respective club health.

The Genesis of Goodison Park

On 15 September 1891, a general meeting took place at Royal Street Hall, near Everton Valley. Everton's chairman John Houlding proposed that a limited company be formed with the new company purchasing his land and local brewer Joseph Orrell's adjacent land for a combined £9,237. A club run as a limited company was unusual for the time; football clubs were usually run as 'sports clubs' with members paying an annual fee. The proposal was supported by William Barclay, the club secretary and a close friend of Houlding. Liberal Party politician and Everton board member George Mahon fought the proposal putting forward his own amendment which was carried by the Everton board. At the time Everton's board contained both Conservative and Liberal Party councillors. Houlding and Mahon had previously clashed during local elections. Both men agreed that Everton should operate as a limited company; however, they had different ideas about share ownership. Houlding suggested that 12,000 shares be created with each Everton board member given one share and the other shares sold to the public or Everton board members. Mahon disagreed and proposed that 500 shares be created with no member carrying more than 10 shares with board members given '7 or 8' shares. Mahon reasoned 'we would rather have a large number of individual applications so that there will be more supporters of the club.' A special general meeting was convened at the former Liverpool College building on Shaw Street on 25 January 1892. John Houlding's proposal was defeated once more with George Mahon suggesting that Everton relocate to another site. A heckler shouted, 'You can't find one!' Mahon responded: 'I have one in my pocket', revealing an option to lease Mere Green field, in Walton, Lancashire, the site of the current Goodison Park. The Liverpool press were partisan. The proposal was deemed to be a positive move for the club by the Liberal-leaning Liverpool Daily Post which described Houlding's ousting as 'having shaken off the incubus'. The Tory-supporting Liverpool Courier and Liverpool Evening Express—owned by Conservative MP for Everton, John A. Willox, a Trustee of the Licensed Victuallers' and Brewers' Association—took Houlding's side. The Courier published letters regularly criticising Mahon's supporters—many of which were anonymous. Philanthropist William Hartley, a jam manufacturer and Robert William Hudson, a prominent soap-manufacturer supported Mahon.