'A realisation of tens of thousands of people's hopes'

Construction on Hill Dickinson Stadium began in August 2021 and was completed in 2025. However, that shouldn't imply that the project went entirely without a hitch. "We were on the bubble for relegation more than once.

We had a change of ownership and we had a war with Russia and Ukraine that affected the club," said Dan Meis - the Los Angeles-based architect who designed Everton's new ground. The Toffees finished four points above the relegation zone in 2021-22 and just two points clear of the drop zone the following season. Everton also cut ties with Russian sponsors in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine and the Friedkin Group took over the club in November 2024 .

Nick Tyrer was lead designer for architecture and engineering firm BDP Pattern on the Hill Dickinson Stadium. "I work on sports stadia around the world," he told BBC Sport. "The joy, but equally the challenge of them, is that they are such landmark projects that are driven by politics, by the industry, by what's going on in the world.

" He explained the design and build contract had been signed by the time Everton were facing potential relegation. "On social media though, there was a lot of talk about how it would be the best stadium in the Championship," added Tyrer. "That's a professional concern - you spend six or seven years of your life working on a stadium and it may open in a lower league.