- January 11, 2023
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Featured Articles, Features, Home News, Industry News, News, Press Releases
Everton Stadium is set to enter a transformative phase in 2023, with work ramping up on the internal works. As the external appearance continues to develop, the race is on to make the build watertight to allow tradesmen to begin work in installing hundreds of miles of piping, wiring and the internal fittings.
Everton Football Club’s Chief Stadium Development Officer, Colin Chong, said in a statement:
I think we should just warn spectators that in 2023 it will look like things are slowing down from an external perspective. A big milestone that people will want to see is the east stand steelwork that will fill in the gap between the north and south steelwork. However, it will slow down externally, although internally it’s going to be a hive of activity.
In real terms, the fit-out is starting in January, when we will start putting all the wires and piping in. People won’t notice it as much, as it’s internal, but it’s equally as important to the stadium development as the roof going up.
As with the external concrete and steel components, much of the internal walls are pre-manufactured in factory conditions and transported to site in just-in-time slots for installation.
All mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems in the stadium will be manufactured off-site in the Oldbury (West Midlands) factory of Laing O’Rourke’s specialist MEP business, Crown House Manufacturing.
The six-foot high modules and an innovative product called Techwall, will be delivered to site, lifted into place, connected and commissioned, in an approach that helps save time and energy.
Forward Associates is a longstanding main sponsor of ALSD International with CEO Roy Westwood joining Everton’s Vicky Jaycock for an overview of Everton Stadium’s reimagined hospitality; ‘Football for ALL’. Check out the 2022 event wrap video here.
Chong explained in a special Official Everton Podcast on the stadium build:
There are life-safe systems, resilience to be planned, and all the toilets on the concourses will be coming in in modules, pre-manufactured.
The pipework will arrive pre-manufactured, tested in the factory, and be offered up and connected, so there are less connections throughout the whole building. There’s less welding, so less risk of fire and it’s the modern way of building things.
Again, we’ll be working on all four concourses simultaneously, along with the hospitality lounges starting, probably in March.
The skeleton of the dressing rooms is already in place (in the west stand). We’ve got the pit for the hydrotherapy pools and all the apertures for all the incoming services.
There are hundreds of miles of beer pythons that have to go in at some point and they’ll all start to go in next year.
We ramp up with people and we’ll end up with 1,000 people there next year and probably up to around 1,400 on site the year after.
There’s a whole host of things going to happen this year, but not a lot of people are going to notice it because it’s going to be hidden.
New appointment
In other news, Neil Russell joined Everton in September as the new Director of Venue Experience and Revenue, ahead of the move to Everton Stadium.
The lifelong Blues fan will be tasked with ensuring a first-class experience for supporters and maximising the Club’s revenues on matchdays and non-matchdays, during and after the transition from Goodison Park to the new home at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Belfast-born Neil, whose commercial expertise has been gained over many years – joins the club from Manchester City, where he also held a senior commercial role for more than five years.
Source & imagery, courtesy: Everton
