Euro 2028 bid: Hosting will create legacy in Liverpool - Everton chief

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (centre) has backed the bid to bring Euro 2028 to Liverpool

Hosting Euro 2028 matches at Everton's new stadium will bring Liverpool "many benefits beyond participating in a festival of football", the club's chief executive has said.

The as-yet-unfinished Bramley-Moore Dock stadium has been named as one of 10 grounds in the UK and Ireland's bid.

The club's Goodison Park stadium hosted matches in the 1966 World Cup.

Denise Barrett-Baxendale said a successful bid could create "another legacy that will last a generation".

"The prestige of being a host city brings many benefits beyond participating in a festival of football," she said.

"It will allow the club and the local authorities to build on the already transformational impact that [the new stadium] will bring to our city region and to inspire young people from many of our diverse communities."

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The club's goalkeeper, England international Jordan Pickford, said if the bid was successful, Liverpool would have the chance to be "a part of something truly special and to show off what a fantastic and welcoming city it is".

"They will get to see some of best players across Europe and the city will become a temporary home to nations that will no doubt bring their own culture, noise and colour," he said.

Goodison Park hosted five games during the 1966 World Cup, including Portugal's 3-1 victory over Brazil

Bramley-Moore Dock, which is expected to host about 53,000 spectators, is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by 2024.

It has been named as one of two incomplete stadiums in the bid, alongside Belfast's planned Casement Park.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said nowhere was "more qualified or experienced" than the city to host a tournament.

"As our area gears up to welcome hundreds of thousands of people for the Grand National Festival, the Eurovision Song Contest and The Open Championship over the next few months, we've already proven that we have the capability, creativity and culture to put on unforgettable shows," he said.

He added that he believed the city was "already the UK's cultural capital" but, once complete, the new stadium will be "another feather in our cap".

Liverpool City Council's interim chief executive Theresa Grant added that the city had "football in its DNA and we are used to giving a massive welcome to football fans from across Europe and beyond".

She said hosting the event "would be much more than games taking place on the pitch as we will develop a programme that will involve the whole city and wider Liverpool City Region".

A decision on who will host the 2028 Euro finals is expected to be made by European football's governing body Uefa in September.

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