Goodison Park’s final season as home to Everton Football Club will be documented from a fan’s perspective, through a new photo display opening on 5 April at Museum of Liverpool.
Featuring nine photographers from the club’s fanbase, Goodbye to Goodison is a love letter to the home stadium of Everton Football Club in its final season. The display of photos taken during the final season looks at the relationship between this iconic ground and the loyal fans who congregate around the stadium.
Goodbye to Goodison brings together fan photographers that document the matchday experience at Goodison Park. The photos selected highlight matchdays away from the Premier League glamour – the chippies, pubs, meeting places and family moments shared during the final season.
As the club moves into the next chapter of its rich history, relocating to a state-of-the-art stadium, fans are savouring the final moments in one of the country’s last great football stadiums.
Chris Wardle, co-curator and contributor to Goodbye to Goodison, said: “While a lot of attention is focused on the pitch for Goodison Park’s final season, I wanted to shift our focus to the pre-game experiences and moments that, to me, make this old ground so special.
“The display celebrates the streets, landmarks and establishments that have become an extension of the ground over the years.
“We’re lucky, as a fanbase, to have a talented group of photographers who have taken it upon themselves to document Goodison’s legacy from their own perspective. I am excited to showcase the work of these photographers and pay tribute to one of the great stadiums in world football.”
To mark the final game, museum curators will select an image taken from the final game of the season, capturing the emotion and importance of the final game at The Grand Old Lady.
Karen O’Rourke, curator for sport, music and performance at Museum of Liverpool, said: “Leaving a space for an image from the final game at Goodison Park seems like an important thing to do. We are hoping the photographers involved can capture the emotion that will no doubt overflow before and after the last game. The display pays tribute to a landmark of the city, before the club moves to its new ground on the banks of the River Mersey.”
Goodbye to Goodison opens in Museum of Liverpool’s Skylight Gallery on Saturday 5 April and runs until Sunday 10 August.
On Thursdays throughout the run of the display, visitors will be able to see additional images from the photographers and share their own memories and experiences of going to the match.
Running alongside the display, the museum will release an episode of the NML Podcast talking with staff, ex-players, ex-managers and other important figures who know Goodison Park best. Online a wider selection of photos from around the ground will be available to view.
For more information on Goodbye to Goodison, the photographers and special events, please visit: Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/Goodison-park.