Everton Stadium to host Rugby League Ashes Test

Everton Stadium has been chosen to host the historic return of Rugby League’s Ashes series this autumn. Rugby League Commercial confirmed that the traditional England-Australia challenge will return after a 22-year absence.

Everton’s new waterfront home will host the decisive Second Test on 1 November, with the three-test series starting at Wembley Stadium (London) on 25 October and ending at AMT Headingley (Leeds) on 8 November.

The matches will be played on three consecutive Saturday afternoons – with each kicking off at 2.30pm and shown live on BBC One in the UK.

Everton Season Ticket and Premium Members will have the opportunity of securing tickets, or access to the stadium’s bars, restaurants and experiences, for the historic fixture as part of the priority sales window. Members will be contacted by email to confirm how they can secure their seats in the coming days.

With huge demand expected, other interested parties are urged to pre-register before 23:59 pm on Tuesday 1 April for early access to the best-priced tickets through a priority window opening on Wednesday 2 April (12 pm) – before they go on general sale on 14 April.

Before then, England’s most loyal supporters will have the first opportunity to secure their tickets in a 48-hour priority window opening Monday 31 March – with anyone who has bought a ticket for an England international in the last decade, including the Rugby League World Cup in 2022, able to purchase tickets for any of the three Tests.

>> Click here to register your interest for tickets

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

“We are delighted to welcome the Rugby League Ashes series to Everton Stadium this autumn.

“As well as being home to Everton, our new stadium was built to also host world-class sporting and entertainment events. Securing an international fixture of this magnitude demonstrates Everton Stadium’s status as one of the UK’s leading venues.

“The rivalry between England and Australia in rugby league has a rich history, and we are excited to welcome fans of the sport to our city and our stadium which will offer an unforgettable experience in a state-of-the-art setting on the banks of the River Mersey.”

In addition to this Ashes test, the first major non-footballing event to be announced at Everton Stadium, the Club’s waterfront home has already been selected as a host venue for UEFA Euro 2028.

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The Rugby League Ashes date back to 1908, with the name adopted from cricket for the inaugural series. Australian dominance was a factor in the decision to move away from Ashes series in favour of Four Nations competitions from 2004, and a previous attempt to revive the rivalry in 2020 was scuppered by the Covid pandemic.

But this year the rivalry returns.

Rhodri Jones, Rugby League Commercial Managing Director, said:

“This is the news we’ve all been waiting for – everyone in the England set-up, and tens of thousands of England Rugby League fans. We welcome back Mal Meninga and the Kangaroos to England for an Ashes series, and we have three fantastic venues which will showcase the very best of International Rugby League.

“After 22 years this is rivalry reignited that will have a truly national resonance as England look to regain the Rugby League Ashes.”

Everton has history with Rugby League. Goodison Park staged a match during The Kangaroos’ first-ever tour of England in 1908, won 10-9 by the tourists, and between 1909 and 1921 hosted three more Kangaroos’ visits.

Australia remain the undisputed number one in Rugby League’s world rankings, but England have climbed back to number three after 12 wins in their last 13 internationals under Shaun Wane – including consecutive home series wins over Tonga and Samoa.

The current standings in the Ashes series are Australia 20 wins, England 19, so everything is to play for.

Source & imagery, courtesy: Everton FC

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