Hill Dickinson Stadium hosted its first competitive match on August 24, 2025. Everton beat Brighton 2-0 in front of 52,769 fans. The £800 million stadium replaced Goodison Park after 133 years. Iliman Ndiaye scored the first goal at the new ground. He also scored Everton’s last goal at Goodison Park. Jack Grealish set up both goals in his first home game.
Social media tracking showed Everton posts from 47 countries during the match. Most activity happened when Ndiaye scored in the 23rd minute.
Official streaming services recorded viewers from 73 countries. Sky Sports saw 15% more international viewers compared to last season’s opener at Goodison Park.
Brisbane Blues had 47 people watching at 11 PM local time. Three venues in Johannesburg hosted 83 South African fans. Bangkok supporters booked four different places with space for 240 people total. Kuala Lumpur fans had 156 people turn up – their biggest crowd since the 2009 FA Cup final. Their usual average last season was 89 people.
West Coast Americans started watching at 6 AM. Singapore and Indonesian fans got a better 10 PM kickoff time. Australian fan clubs made it a full day event. Melbourne’s group watched for six hours including pre and post-match coverage.
The stadium has 1,200 WiFi access points covering all 52,888 seats. During the Brighton game, 34,000 different devices connected to stadium WiFi. Each device used an average of 2.1GB of data.
The official Everton app saw 340% more international users during the match compared to the previous week. Ireland had the most users at 23%, then Australia (18%), United States (16%), Thailand (12%), and Malaysia (8%).
Fans inside the stadium posted on social media reaching supporters across six time zones. International supporters clubs on Twitter were 280% more active than during away games.
North American supporters club membership went from 2,847 in 2020 to 4,123 in 2025. Thailand’s group grew 87% to 1,340 members. Australia increased 64% to 2,156 registered supporters.
International merchandise sales make up 31% of Everton’s retail money. Asian markets are growing fastest with jersey sales up 23% year-over-year. New stadium licensing deals should bring 45% more overseas partnerships by 2027.
The season ticket waiting list has 1,847 international applicants. That’s 12% of all applications. This doesn’t count supporters who use UK addresses through family or business.
Surveys show overseas supporters act differently than UK fans. 67% of international fans do other things during halftime versus 23% of domestic supporters. North American groups start gathering 90 minutes before kickoff like at regular sports bars.
Different regions want different content. Southeast Asian fan clubs participate 40% more when materials are in local languages. India has WhatsApp groups with over 3,000 members across 12 cities providing live commentary.
During the off-season, British fans living abroad look for familiar entertainment. Many try non-UK casinos for UK players that offer football-themed games and keep connections to British sports culture.
Hill Dickinson Stadium works with Seat Unique to offer hospitality packages in six languages. Digital help services target traveling supporters. The club expects to make £2.3 million yearly from international digital services by 2027.
Stadium tours will use virtual reality to let fans experience matchday atmosphere remotely. International TV partnerships will include region-specific programming that respects local fan cultures while keeping Merseyside traditions.
The stadium has a 13,000-seat stand inspired by Borussia Dortmund’s “Yellow Wall.” Camera positions give elevated views of the stadium and Mersey waterfront specifically for international broadcasts.
Goodison Park’s final season averaged 39,000 attendance with limited international viewing setup. The new venue’s 52,769 capacity is 33% bigger. WiFi capacity increased from 8,000 connections to 35,000.
International fan club events during Goodison’s final season lasted 2.3 hours on average. Hill Dickinson Stadium’s debut caused 4.1-hour average viewing parties worldwide. Australian groups had the longest sessions at 5.8 hours average.
The stadium opening matches Everton’s first Premier League season under The Friedkin Group ownership. International supporters make up 28% of the club’s social media followers, up from 19% in 2020.
