North West-based sportswear challenger Castore and merch specialist Fanatics have announced a new clothing collection to commemorate the legacy of Everton’s historic Goodison Park as the club prepares to move to its new home next season.
The new Everton Matchday range “celebrates the spirit of England’s first purpose-built football stadium, which has provided unforgettable moments for generations of Evertonians.”
A repeat abstract print, which takes inspiration from features of Bullens Road, the Park End gates and the iconic St Luke’s Church, evokes cherished memories of times shared at the Grand Old Lady with family and friends.
The print also references key dates and the stadium’s exact longitude and latitude, as a lasting reminder of Goodison’s place in history and the indelible mark it leaves on L4.
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Fittingly, the all-blue colour palette of the Everton Matchday range pays homage to the past, in including Cambridge Blue; the colour of the shirts worn by the first Everton team to grace Goodison between 1892 and 1901.
The clothing range features a training T-shirt, a quarter-zip training top and anthem jacket, in a fitting collection that pays tribute to an enduring Goodison Park legacy.
Versions of the above are available in adult men, women and Kid versions and the Everton Men’s Senior Team will wear the anthem jackets ahead of the Premier League game against Liverpool at Goodison on Wednesday 12 February.
Goodison Park was the first major football stadium built in England.
Only Scotland had more advanced grounds at the time – Rangers opened Ibrox in 1887, while Celtic Park was officially inaugurated at the same time as Goodison Park.
Everton’s ground-breaking development at Mere Green was to set the trend for football stadia throughout the country. The Blues initially spent up to £3,000 on laying out the ground and building stands on three sides. Kelly Brothers of Walton built two uncovered stands each for 4000 people, and a covered stand seating 3000, at a total cost of £1,460.
Outside, hoardings cost a further £150, gates and sheds cost £132 and 10 shillings whilst 12 turnstiles added another £7 and 15 shillings to the bill.
The ground, dubbed Goodison Park, was opened on 24 August 1892, by Lord Kinnaird and Frederick Wall of the Football Association, when the 12,000-strong crowd bizarrely watched a short athletics meeting followed by a selection of music and a fireworks display.
Everton’s first game there was on 2 September 1892 when they beat Bolton 4-2.
