The Sun reported that Everton reduced the audience capacity before the new stadium was officially opened.
The new stadium, which was originally scheduled to open this summer, has caused the actual capacity to be lower than the original plan due to a variety of reasons. The club initially announced that the new home stadium could accommodate 52,888 spectators, but the latest disclosed figures have dropped to 52,769 people, and the 52,888 people capacity proposed in the planning stage five years ago has always been regarded as tentative data. The
club said the decrease in these 119 seats (0.2% of the total capacity) was due to a full post-season construction audit. The audit shows that the configuration requirements for home and visiting team fans' isolation areas, media facilities and camera positions must be achieved through fine-tuning capacity. Fortunately, the club confirmed that the season ticket holders will not be affected.
Everton will usher in the first official game in the second round of the Premier League at the new home court. At that time, the team led by Moyes will face Brighton. The full stands are expected to witness the opening of a new era of the club.
Before the opening of the Premier League, Everton will have a pre-season friendly match with Serie A powerhouse Roma on August 9, which is not only the last test match, but also the first full-load operation drill. Two Test matches have been held before: U18 vs. Wigan Athletics (10,000 viewers) and U21 vs. Bolton (25,000 viewers).