Everton appoints leading agency to deliver new stadium FF&E procurement

Everton Football Club has appointed global sports procurement agents The Parker Company to manage the sourcing and delivery of furniture, fittings and equipment (FF&E) for the Club’s new waterfront stadium.

After coming through a lengthy procurement process The Parker Company began their work for the Club by hosting a special ‘Meet the Buyer’ event in central Liverpool last week.

The construction of Everton’s impressive new 52,888-capacity home is well underway and the build, managed by construction partner Laing O’Rourke, is fast approaching the internal fit out stage. With thousands of individual items that will need to be specified, designed, sourced, shipped and installed, the event – coordinated by Liverpool Chamber of Commerce – allowed local and national businesses to get an understanding of the development as well as hear from Everton’s procurement team, who outlined their strategy and requirements prior to businesses expressing their interest in the procurement for goods to The Parker Company.

Meet the Buyer

Items that will need to be sourced cover everything from gym and medical equipment for the players’ changing rooms, sensory equipment and lighting for the sensory rooms, as well seating, tables and banquettes that will form part of Everton’s ‘ALL’ bars, restaurants and experiences.

Guests at last week’s Meet the Buyer event met with representatives of Everton’s ‘ALL’ team. ALL brings together the bars, restaurants and experiences that will be available at the Club’s new home – presenting a revolutionary re-set of traditional football hospitality.

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

For over 50 years, The Parker Company, based out of Miami, Florida, with offices in London, Zurich and Dubai, has managed the buying needs of hundreds of projects each year, ranging from hotels to stadiums, cruise ships to office blocks. And with a project list that includes venues such as Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, LA Rams & Chargers’ SoFi Stadium, the new Heston Training Centre for QPR and the Riverside Stand for Fulham FC.

ALSD International 2023 is being hosted at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, October 9-10. Optimising revenue through New Builds, Renovations & Service Expansions is the key focus of this industry-leading event, with architecture & design, fan experience, hospitality, premium seating, sustainability and technology taking centre stage.

Doug Parker, CEO of The Parker Company, is excited about the challenge ahead. He said:

This is one of the biggest stadium projects in Europe, if not the world, and managing the detail and delivery of this procurement program is a complex operation. Our aim is to combine our global supply chain with local manufacturers to ensure that this project gets best value for money, while sharing as much opportunity as possible with companies in Liverpool and the North West and beyond.

Transformational project

Local sourcing is just one part of a three-pronged procurement strategy developed by The Parker Company and the Club.

Colin Chong, Everton’s Interim Chief Executive Officer, explained:

Alongside local sourcing and ensuring value for money, we also aim to meet and exceed our sustainability and environmental targets.

While we are working on a global scale, ‘Everton Stadium’ is recognised as a transformational project for the North of England. Therefore, wherever possible we engage with local suppliers and manufacturers and play our part in boosting the UK’s economy.

Vicky Jaycock, Head of Premium Sales – New Stadium, Everton Football Club, is one of some 40 high-level industry executives sitting on the ALSD International Advisory Board, which helps shape the conference agenda.

The range of The Parker Company’s scope is incredibly varied.

Tom Roche, UK Director for The Parker Company, added:

Traditionally, FF&E has only covered items such as chairs, tables, mirrors and coffee machines, but if you imagine turning a modern stadium upside down and shaking it, all the many and varied things that would fall out go far beyond this.

Our Meet the Buyer events and our vast supply network helps us procure these thousands of loose items, including things like the groundskeeper’s tools and mowers, the security guard’s bodycams, premium furniture, artwork and even applied graphics.

About Everton

One of the 12 Founder Members of the Football League, Everton has spent more seasons in England’s top division than any other Club (120) 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 144-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. The Club will be looking to maintain those traditions at the 52,888 capacity Everton Stadium – currently under construction at Bramley-Moore Dock – ensuring the Club’s roots remain in north Liverpool for generations to come.

About The Parker Company

The Parker Company is the industry leader in global hospitality, sports and events planning and procurement.

Since it was founded in 1969, The Parker Company has worked with most of the world’s most iconic sports events, organisations and stadiums, in addition to every major hotel chain, resort, developer and architect. The experts in our Sports & Events Division have nearly 40 years of experience, planning and managing the development of over 400 sports venues worldwide for major sports teams, leagues and associations.

The Parker Company is different. It offers more experience and better systems to create optimum solutions. With over 50 years of procurement services and the most experienced staff in the industry, The Parker Company offers an unparalleled level of service and expertise.