Everton Football Club partner with Forward Associates

Everton has commissioned Forward Associates to work with the Club to create exceptional fan experiences at its new stadium.

Venue specialists Forward Associates will collaborate with Everton to design matchday hospitality packages and experiences at the new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock.

The Blues’ iconic new home on Liverpool’s historic waterfront, which began construction in the summer of 2021 as part of a three-year build, will provide an opportunity for a re-set of traditional football hospitality and matchday experiences.

Forward Associates, who have developed fan and premium seat offerings at major stadia across Europe, Asia and the Americas, will deliver a masterplan after winning a competitive tender process.

Oliver Wright, Head of Premium Sales, Hospitality & Catering at Everton FC, explained:

Our iconic stadium, in a unique dockside development, will usher in the start of a new era for the Club. 

We understand that social gatherings and group rituals are an important part of our fans’ matchday – and this is a stadium which will be the new home for all those treasured experiences.

It’s clear that Forward Associates see things the same way. They understand stadia, but just as importantly they understand Everton and what our fans expect from our new home. Together, we will create premium, but always accessible experiences for everyone to enjoy.

Everton will soon begin a rigorous process of supporter engagement, including surveys and focus groups, to offer a clearer insight into the new experiences, and gain valuable feedback.

Oliver Wright, Head of Premium Sales, Hospitality & Catering, Everton FC and Roy Westwood, CEO, Forward Associates, were speakers at ALSD International 2021, during which attendees were treated to a tour of Goodison Park. Vicky Jaycock, Senior Manager – New Stadium Sales, Everton, is one of 30+ high-level industry executives sitting on the ALSD International Advisory Board.

Forward Associates is a collection of specialists led by Roy Westwood. Every member of the team has been hand-picked to offer venues the widest possible perspective, across a myriad of disciplines, including architecture, interiors, food and beverage strategy, brand, technology and marketing. It is this broader perspective that sets Forward Associates apart.

Roy Westwood, CEO, Forward Associates, said:

We are delighted to have been appointed to the Everton project.

Our approach is to understand every square metre of the proposed footprint in guest experience terms. Only by understanding the needs and wants of the Everton fans can we create compelling experiences that consider all of the fanbase.

This is an elite development. Together, we will create elite, but never elitist, fan experiences.

About Forward Associates

Forward Associates are forensic in their approach to the fan experience. They have studied every aspect of the rituals, desires and wants of fans at mass-populations venues. As such they take a multi-discipline approach considering every facet of the opportunity, uniting brand, experience, food and drink and interior into one coherent proposition.

In addition to its work with The Wimbledon Championships, The O2, Tottenham Hotspur and the new development for Fulham, the 20-strong London business is active across Europe, Asia, North and South America.

About Everton Football Club

One of the 12 Founder Members of the Football League, Everton has spent more seasons in England’s top division than any other Club (119) and been crowned league champions on nine occasions.

Founded in 1878 as St Domingo, the Club has also lifted the FA Cup five times and, in 1985, added the European Cup Winners’ Cup to its prestigious haul.

Throughout its 143-year history Everton has been known as a family-oriented Club based on proud traditions, affectionately referred to as ‘The People’s Club’. Those traditions have also encouraged innovation, ensuring Everton has remained one of the great pioneering Clubs in the history of the game.

The first Club to construct a purpose-built football stadium, Goodison Park is one of the most revered stadiums in England.

In the coming years, the Club will be looking maintain those traditions in a new 52,888 capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, ensuring the Club’s roots remain in north Liverpool for generations to come.

As a pioneer, the Club are renowned for many firsts that we take for granted in today’s game: Everton was the first Club to see its players wear shirts numbered 1 to 11, the first Club to go on an overseas tour, the first English Club to install dugouts and undersoil heating, the first Club to feature in a televised match, the first Club to introduce a regular matchday programme, the first Club to present its players with medals for winning the Football League championship and the first Club to have a player, Dixie Dean, break the 60 goals barrier in a single league season.

Main image, top, courtesy: BDP Pattern

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