Everton announce 'world first' stadium deal as they look to grow £39m figure

Everton have added another stadium founding partner. The club have agreed a deal with the current sleeve sponsor Christopher Ward.

Having seen kit suppliers Castore, and American food service firm Aramark become stadium founding partners for the new 52,888-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, where Everton will take residence from the start of next season, the Toffees have added UK watch brand Christopher Ward to the list, a move that expands the relationship further.

As a ‘founding partner’, a commercial initiative brought in to maximise the revenue-generating potential of the club’s soon-to-be new home, Christopher Ward brand will become recognised within Everton Stadium as a ‘presenting partner’ of the ‘Dock On 1’ concept - a social space of bars and restaurants designed to offer members a flexible matchday experience.

The creative team at Christopher Ward will help influence the design and experience of Dock on 1’s four socialising and dining experiences, which will all be based on the preferences and insight of modern fans after opinions were sought on what the club’s offering should look like.

Dock on 1 will also incorporate an immersive Christopher Ward watch showroom experience, the first of its kind to be integrated into a football stadium anywhere in the world.

The new showroom will be open on non-matchdays as an invitation-only space with brand, withthe space becoming Christopher Ward’s northen hub. On matchdays, the immersive space will operate as a Christopher Ward-branded private dining experience.

Richard Kenyon, Everton’s Chief Commercial and Communications Officer, said: “This is an exciting deal for Everton as we look forward to our move to our new stadium.

“This is the third founding partner we have announced this summer and represents an innovative collaboration which will provide a range of benefits not only to Christopher Ward and the Club but directly to our supporters in some of the premium spaces in our new home.

“The development of Christopher Ward’s Northern Hub within the venue is unique and demonstrates how Everton Stadium can be used by our partners to support their brand and commercial growth ambitions. We’ve been on such a fantastic journey with Mike France and his colleagues over recent years and I’d like to thank him and my team, particularly Mark Rollings our Partnership Director, for developing such an innovative concept.”

Maximising the potential for the new stadium by utilising the opportunities to create new revenue streams previously unavailable to the club at Goodison Park is a key goal for the club as it seeks to grow commercial revenues considerably in the coming years and move away from the financial issues that they have faced in recent times.

Commercial revenue for the club for the 2022/23 financial year stood at £39m, a figure the club will expect to see rise considerably over the next three years as it opens up new revenue streams through the stadium, with such things as stadium naming rights still to be sold, as well as the potential to host non-football events such as music concerts.

Mike France, CEO and co-founder, Christopher Ward, said: “Becoming a founding partner of Everton Stadium represents a new high-water mark for the Christopher Ward brand, especially as the result of our partnership will be a unique, world-first experience for fans of both Everton and Christopher Ward.

“I’m not aware of a more exciting, innovative project that combines the worlds of premium watchmaking and elite sport. I can’t wait to invite our first guests in less than a year’s time.”

Christopher Ward’s expansion into becoming a founding partner of Everton Stadium will see them extend their time and groundbreaking partnership with the Blues beyond the 10-year mark during the agreement.

The new element to the partnership further strengthens the ties between the two organisations, which began in 2022 when the UK's first online-only watch brand took up the position of Everton’s official timing partner.

Christopher Ward have since further expanded their successful relationship by supporting Everton Women, Everton in the Community and becoming an official sleeve partner for Everton’s final season at Goodison Park.