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Update From Everton's Director Of Communications, Revenue and International Growth

Director of Communications, Revenue and International Growth Richard Kenyon has outlined how Everton is looking to "maximise revenue in all areas" as part of an expansive and multi-tiered commercial strategy ahead of the Club’s move to a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

The Blues are set to announce a new Season Ticket pricing structure for 2022/23 imminently, having already confirmed in October last year that prices will increase for the first time since 2014/15 as part of a drive to increase matchday revenues.

It was explained that the commercial drive has seen an expansion of the Club’s partnerships team and the establishment of office locations outside the North-West, including a base in the USA.

"Across the whole Club, we’re looking at areas where we can generate more income, and I think it’s really important for the Club to say that, and we shouldn’t be reticent about that in any way," said Kenyon.

"We need to be bringing more revenue into the football club so we can compete with the clubs at the very top end of the division. We have a greater focus on maximising commercial revenue - and matchday income is part of that.

"However, we want to make sure we’re pricing [Season Tickets] in a way where we’re making more revenue but also keeping true to those values about affordable football at Goodison, and I think the pricing we’re going to present does that.

"It does give us some increase in our income but also keeps us at a level where we’ll benchmark really well in terms of our pricing across the Premier League.

"But it’s not just matchday income that we’re looking at – it’s revenue right across the board, across everything that the football club does. We’re looking to maximise the revenue in all areas."

Kenyon took on an expanded commercial remit in November last year, having been the Club's Director of Marketing and Communications since 2014. He says progress is being made, with new commercial deals already in place and due to be announced later in the year.

"The biggest area of growth in terms of value is across our partnership portfolio, where there’s significant opportunity to grow, and we’ve made some good progress in that over the last few months," he said.

"We’ve got some exciting opportunities that we’re working on, and deals that have been done that we’ll be able to announce ahead of the new season.

"These things don’t happen overnight so it’s important that we’re building for the future and we’ve got a good pipeline. We have got that and we’re building that through a team that has really, really strong experience. That’s experience of Everton but also experience of working with some of the other top English and European clubs, clubs that are competing in the Champions League every year.

"So, we’ve got a very strong, well-resourced team now. That team is based here [in the UK], they’re also based out of locations we have in London, and we also have our colleagues in the US, who, again, have great experience and are helping us on that partnership journey.

“We’ve been building that partnership team in terms of the resources, but also the expertise and knowledge of being able to sell the partnership assets that we have - and will have - as we move towards the new stadium."

On the commercial opportunities set to be afforded by the Club’s new stadium, Kenyon added: “I think the opportunities at the new stadium are tremendous, it’s a game changer for the Club commercially.

“Stating the obvious, there’s going to be more seats, so there’s bigger general admission capacity for us to benefit from. We obviously also have a much greater premium offering and much greater choice within that as well, which I think is really, really important.

“So the matchday income will increase and, again, we will still have that commitment to affordable pricing at the new stadium but, just by the nature of the increase in seats that we’ll have and the increase in the variety of the premium offer, we’ll benefit from increased revenues there certainly.

“We will also have new partnership assets that we can benefit from - the naming rights obviously being one of them - but many other new partnership opportunities we can increase revenue from. Then there’s the opportunity to increase non-matchday income – particularly from being based on the waterfront in a city as vibrant as Liverpool with its growing visitor economy - so increasing stadium tours, events, potential for concerts, for example.

“The biggest benefits will be when the stadium actually opens its doors but, in that lead up to it, we’re already seeing a lot more interest in Everton and the partnership opportunities and the commercial opportunities that the new stadium presents.”