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Liverpool and Everton groundsharing back on the table?

Published by Ian John on November 27, 2009

Ah, the unbridled power of high finance and governmental bureaucracy. It seems these two all pervading influences may well have finally forced ailing Merseyside duo Liverpool and Everton into a reconsideration of their position as to the rebuilding of their new grounds alone and to perhaps once again, consider the possibility of a shared stadium.

Let us not forget, when it was announced that both clubs were seeking to build a new stadium, opposition was fierce from fans. The clubs did discuss groundsharing in 2004, but by 2005, Everton had failed to raise 50% of the costs and Liverpool pulled the plug and announced it was going alone. This led Everton to pin their hopes on a new stadium on the heavily Tesco subsidised idea of building it in Kirkby. However now that the planning application for the stadium has been rejected, this leaves Everton with no really viable alternative than to consider sharing with their neighbours once again. A notio confirmed by Everton Chief Executive Robert Elstone yesterday when he stated about the idea of a shared stadium;

“A shared stadium is an option perhaps if it’s affordable. It’s the affordability point we have to look at.

“Where we can raise money, potentially Liverpool will have to contribute to that. Liverpool City Council perhaps might need to find some money.

“So it’s affordability on the shared stadium, it’s not any deep-seated opposition to sharing. Our history is one of creation and innovation and if we’re the first major English club to look at sharing then we’re not scared of making those decisions.”

The phrase that strikes me in this announcement is “it’s not any deep-seated opposition to sharing.” This is plainly, nonsensical. While the owners of Everton and perhaps Liverpool now, given their awful financial condition, may well be far more willing to discuss a joint venture, you can bet your bottom dollar that amongst the Red and Blues of Merseyside there is plenty of deep-seated opposition to sharing.

The question is why?

A lot of trite meaningless guff is waffled here about a clubs own identity and fans believing that the soul of the club will be lost should the clubs share. What utter nonsense! It is the rhetoric of the bigoted and narrow-minded. Do Inter and AC fans have any less of a rivalry or feel their clubs are somehow lesser because they share? What about Roma & Lazio? Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich in their fabulous Allianz Arena stadium (pictured)?

Given the disasterous financial state of the two Merseyside superpowers sharing a stadium is not only the sensible option, but it is the ONLY option. By sharing both clubs drastically reduce their costs. A stadium could be built that not only serves the needs of both clubs (lets not forget, Liverpool have a large season ticket waiting list), but one that also offers a genuine competition to the two fantastic stadia down the M62 in Manchester. It would also be a fitting base for some 2018 World Cup games to be held. I see absolutely no sense in building two stadia, say of 50,000 each at a huge cost to both clubs that will keep them in debt for a great many years to come. When an 80,000 capacity stadium could be built more cheaply to serve the needs of both the clubs and the wider community.

For sure, it would mean eating a little humble pie perhaps. It would require a degree of tolerance that has been sadly lacking between both sets of fans in recent times. It would require old, nagging bigotry to be buried and the forging of a new identity for both clubs. It would see the death of Anfield and Goodison Park. Sad as that may be, it would also be the first step into turning Merseyside into what it once was, the footballing capital of the country.

The truth of the issue remains however that many fans, due to their own innate prejudices and visceral hate, are opposed to the idea because their petty self-absorbed worlds make it a necessity. Our passion for football on Merseyside is sadly sometimes only matched, by our passion to think we have to hate our rival with undisguised, spittle flecked, animosity. This is a shame because it is this which is holding back both clubs and allowing teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United to take massive strides away from Liverpool and Everton.

And unless this issue is sorted, it will entirely be as much the fault of the fans as it is the blundering incompetence of the board members.

Image Courtesy of ***Claude&Munich*** at flickr.com

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