Everton have been working tirelessly to enhance the matchday experience at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, following the Carabao Cup clash against Mansfield Town. The club’s executives consider the first matches at the cutting-edge stadium a significant success, with two competitive fixtures taking place in quick succession after the final test event against Roma in August.
The club has been analysing how these games played out – both inside and outside the stadium – during the international break in the aftermath of Everton’s Premier League trip to Wolves. Where problems have been spotted, the club are confident they have been addressed. These issues include complaints made to the club regarding the initial experiences of fans in the Club View suite. Supporters who had invested in membership of the scheme expressed dissatisfaction over the length of queues and the time it took to be served, as well as issues with the cards used to buy food and drink in that part of the ground.
Everton Football Club has reportedly identified and rectified the technical glitches with their pre-loaded purchase cards. As a goodwill gesture, full Club View members will receive an additional £10 on their cards for the forthcoming Aston Villa match.
The club is optimistic that resolving these technical issues, coupled with enhanced staff training since the Brighton game and efforts to increase the number of food and drink outlets within the Club View area, will alleviate initial concerns.
Just three days after securing three crucial points in the historic Brighton match, marking a new era for the Toffees, the club hosted Mansfield for the first cup game at the waterfront.
The kick-off for this match was delayed by 15 minutes, but the club is confident that the factors leading to this decision were largely one-off incidents.
A series of problems led to queues forming before the game, resulting in crowded scenes outside the ticket offices for both home and away fans. One setback was a technical issue with physical season ticket cards for home supporters, which necessitated many visiting the ticket office due to turnstile problems.
In a separate incident, logistical challenges relating to Mansfield’s distribution of tickets to travelling fans resulted in around 700 people needing to collect tickets from the club before queuing at the turnstiles.
Several incidents – including the fact that for about a third of the crowd, this was their first experience at the new stadium – contributed to queues in some areas. The allocation of tickets to the away end meant that some home supporters had to use alternative turnstiles, leading to increased waiting times and confusion.
Some fans did not receive their tickets, which were sent via email, until the afternoon of the match, an issue acknowledged by the club. The quick succession of home games, coupled with a bank holiday, is believed to have worsened the situation, but measures have been taken to prevent a recurrence.
The general consensus is that the factors leading to the delayed kick-off were unique to the circumstances of that particular match.
Importantly, the decision to delay the kick-off was made by the club as a precautionary measure, hoping to ensure a positive first experience for as many fans as possible. It’s understood that more than 95 per cent of spectators were within the stadium footprint by the intended kick-off time, and the decision was made solely by the club, not imposed by external agencies.
While the wider implementation of digital ticketing may take some time for fans to adjust to – a common occurrence at other stadiums where this feature has been introduced – the system itself is not considered to be the root cause of any issues during the opening matches.
The initial games are believed to have been successful, with substantial positive feedback received thus far. Despite some hiccups at the Mansfield match, many spectators encountered no problems and reported no difficulties attending the clashes with Roma and Brighton.
Club officials intend to continually assess the matchday experience, and it’s understood that the support provided for fans will continue to evolve as both they and the club acclimate to their new environment. Teething troubles were anticipated, but there’s been acknowledgement within the club that Everton supporters have shown patience throughout the process.
Feedback is welcomed, with the club recently encouraging fans to share their experiences of travelling to the new stadium.
The Toffees are set to host Aston Villa on Saturday, kicking off a packed month of fixtures at Hill Dickinson Stadium. West Ham United and Crystal Palace are also scheduled to visit before the October international break.