On Friday, 16 May, Everton confirmed the name of their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock after years of speculation about what route the club would go down.
The club have agreed to a long-term deal with Hill Dickinson, a law firm based in the city of Liverpool. As a result, Everton's new home will be known as the Hil Dickinson Stadium when they officially move into the 52,888-seater arena in August.
According to reports, the deal is one of the best from a financial perspective in Europe, but supporters have not received the news particularly well.
Everton fans react to the Hill Dickinson Stadium
Everton fans took to social media to respond to the news, and the overwhelming feeling was one of disappointment. One fan posted on X: “The worst named stadium in the history of football”, while another said: “I hate this name, how can we go from Goodison Park to this?”
Other Toffees fans were more reasonable about the naming rights. One said: “If it makes Everton a shed load of cash that helps get us back where we belong, that's good enough for me.”
Another posted: “They've operated in the city for over 200 years, and the head office is still in Liverpool. They do loads to support people in the city, including Everton in the community. All sounds very Everton to me.”
Rival fans react to the Hill Dickinson Stadium
It didn't take long before rival fans jumped on the naming deal. One popular Liverpool account on X responded to the news by posting: “There are no words in the English dictionary that describe how funny this football club are.”
Another rival fan said: “The funniest part about it is that Bramley Moore was actually a beautiful name for a stadium. It actually sounded like a legacy stadium. Such an own goal.”
FGG says: A means to an end
Everton's new home was always going to end up with a sponsored name, and having it associated with a local law firm isn't the worst result in the world. Regardless, it's not as if the club have renamed Goodison Park and the extra cash injection could certainly help the club climb the table in the coming years.