The walk towards the stadium takes us past the restored hydraulic tower of the old dock and the sense of history mixes with the dawn of a new era.

Welcome to Everton’s new home. Everton Stadium for now but, one day, will have a sponsor’s name attached to it. It sits on the filled in Bramley Moore Dock. This is where the Toffees will play their football from the start of the 2025-26 season.

The grand old Goodison Park will be vacated. Memories left behind but new ones to now make.

The very first were on Monday night as the club held the first of three test events to prepare the new ground for 52,888 fans turning up every week to this £750m project which nears completion.

Everton Under-18s hosted their Wigan counterparts in a friendly game won by the visitors but it was just the background viewing for the 10,000 supporters lucky enough to get a ticket to be the first fans to grace this special new sporting arena in Liverpool.

After parking up at the nearby Titanic Hotel, we walked down Regent Road. The saunter took us past the Bramley Moore Hotel, a pub whose landlord must feel a touch giddy about the new custom coming their way for years to come. Fans had already gathered for a pre-match pint as Everton tunes blasted out. Many a drink will be sunk in that establishment over the years. Many in celebration and some in sorrow, no doubt.

The walls of the old, derelict dock have been superbly retained so it doesn’t feel like you’re walking towards a stadium plonked in the middle of nowhere like so many are.

Bramley Moore Dock was created in 1848 but it has been derelict for decades. It was part of Peel L&P’s £5bn Liverpool Waters project until Everton took over the land in 2021 for a three-and-a-half year construction project which finished on Christmas Eve.

It included the restoration of the old hydraulic tower and engine room that was part of dock life in its heyday as well as the retaining of railway lines and other properties of the historic area which all remain Grade II listed buildings at a cost of around £55m.

The stadium will run to around £750m, with the build itself in the region of £600m and the rest on associated costs of filling in the dock, financing and the aforementioned restoration of historic structures.

There’s an American stadium feel to the outside. It may be the red-brick exterior lower down or the cast-iron surrounds of the entrances with the number of each gate above, but it brings back memories of new, modern baseball grounds in the US for some reason.

The plaza outside the stadium can hold up to 17,000 people and could host open-air concerts one day but next season it will be where thousands of Evertonians will congregate before they head into their new home.

Inside is a world away from Goodison Park. It is only the South Stand open for this test event and 10,000 fans on the impressive, 14-000-seater terrace which is one tier and as steep as was allowed by regulations.

One fan who spoke to Mirror Football admitted he was almost teary eyed to be there. “It is sad to leave Goodison Park but this is something special,” he said. “My grandad brought me to Goodison for the first time and now I’ll get to bring my grandchild here next season for the first time.”

The concourse is littered with refreshment kiosks selling food like salt-and-pepper chicken, vegan options and, of course, plenty of different pies.

The breath-taking view from the South Stand looks back down towards the Liverpool city centre skyline. It is about a 20-minute walk from there which many punters may opt to take when the first team play here from next season.

The new caterers Aramark want to make it one of the best stadiums in the country for food offerings. They made an impressive start here.

There were no pints on offer for supporters for the test event as there is no alcohol licence just yet but they hope to have it in place for at least one of the two others to take place in the coming months.

There will be Everton-themed sweet treats, too. This time it was Toffee doughnuts with blue icing of course.

Their U18s got themselves in a sticky situation on the pitch as Wigan midfielder Harrison Rimmer got the first ever goal at the new stadium with an early opener.

The Latics teenager then ruffled feathers by celebrating with six fingers up to the crowd, potentially pointing out Liverpool’s six European Cups. Cole Simms added a second soon after for Wigan and he celebrated by kicking over the corner flag.

Ray Robert made his own history by becoming the first Everton player to score at the stadium when the 16 year old fired in a late penalty but there was no equaliser.

Still, the football felt like a bit of a sideshow with the new stadium the main entertainment for the 10,000 supporters who got a ticket in the ballot. “I just came to see it,” said another fan. “I’m so impressed.”

Everton hope the new stadium will take the club forward on and off the pitch, with additional revenue generated not only from match days but also other events that can be staged here. The stadium will host Euro 2028 games for a start.

The club hopes the new venue will have a massive impact on Liverpool and the UK, contributing an estimated £1.3bn to the economy during its lifetime as well as immediately creating 15,000 jobs and attracting 1.4m visitors to the city annually.

Around the new stadium there is still a lot of derelict land and buildings which have seen better days but the club also believe the opening of the new stadium will help to bring £650m of “accelerated” regeneration.

Still the fans who flocked here on Monday night will care more about the results on the pitch and the club also believe the impressive stadium will help attract the best players within their reach.

New manager David Moyes is helping ensure they fully open the stadium in the Premier League after four wins in five games. A new era awaits in an impressive new home.

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