Supporters might not like the idea right now, but with the current credit crisis and the financial problems going on at both clubs, the time might be right for Everton and Liverpool to reconsider a groundshare deal. At least that’s what Keith Harris, the man in charge of selling Everton, has said recently about a new proposal that would see the two Merseyside clubs share a new stadium in town.
The football dealmaker who has been asked to find a buyer for Everton said yesterday that he believes that a groundshare with Liverpool is the way ahead, with both clubs struggling to build one.
Everton’s plans to relocate to Kirkby have been delayed by a year and remain in the balance, with a public inquiry into them due to start later this month, while Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Liverpool’s owners, simply cannot afford to build the stadium their club’s financial growth is pinned upon.
Harris, who declared earlier this week that the task of finding buyers in the current financial climate was challenging, said a San Siro-style shared stadium – rejected by both clubs’ fans in the past – may yet offer a solution. “The controversial thing to suggest, which no one will do, is the notion that maybe the city of Liverpool could have one stadium,” he said. “Why not? Technology today can turn a stadium from blue to red in the flick of a switch.” (The Independent)
The groundshare, while simple as it may sound, would take a lot of give-and-take from both clubs. It’s not as simple as simply flicking as switch, as Harris said in the article. Both clubs have some very passionate supporters that would surely be against sharing a ground going forward. But with Everton struggling to sell and Liverpool mired in debt at the moment, a groundshare could be a smart step in the right direction.
Would Liverpool and Everton supporters be able share the same ground? Will the new grounds at Stanley Park and Kirby ever get done?