Everton's cash windfall revealed for hosting England Women as more events planned
Everton landed a sum of around £250,000 after they hosted the England Women team for their World Cup qualifying victory over Ukraine last week.
That is according to former Toffees chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who revealed that money isn't the primary driver behind the club hosting events like this.
The Lionesses defeated Ukraine 3-0 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, as they bounced back from a chastening 4-0 loss in Spain the week before.
Wyness emphasised that several more external events are on the horizon at Everton, with concerts set to be introduced to the stadium starting from next year.
The new stadium has already become hugely popular with the Toffees faithful, and Wyness is clear that it will bring all sorts of opportunities for the club long-term.
However, he was adamant that the Lionesses' match was not a big money-spinner for his former club.
Keith Wyness: Everton events all about visibility
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that his former club are facing a "learning curve" with every external event that they host at the moment.
A crowd of just over 26,000 were in attendance for the Lionesses' victory, a figure that the Scottish businessman has since labelled as "disappointing."
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness made it clear that Everton will profit more from their stadium moving forward.
"I know there was a lot of talk right at the start of the Hill Dickinson Stadium being announced about how it could become the centre for women's football. That would make sense in a lot of ways, to have it up in the north-west and away from the south," he said.
"I think that could work, but it was a disappointing crowd, but then again, there's a lot going on. It really isn't about the money so much for Everton; it's about the visibility of the new stadium as a venue for different events rather than just Everton games.
"I think they'll probably have made about £200,000 to £250,000. So it's not really a big money earner, but it's all about stadium usage and getting as many things in there as possible.
"I was surprised there are no concerts this summer. They're apparently coming next year in 2027. Every single event that happens is a learning curve. It's every member of staff learning how to make each situation better and more revenue-earning for the club as we go forward. And they'll get it right as we move on.
"But there's no doubt, I was there again recently, it's a superb piece of work, the finishes on it are excellent. The acoustics are brilliant."
Everton 'offered' Serie A striker
Football Insider revealed last weekend that Everton have been "offered" the chance to sign Juventus star Lois Openda this summer.
The Italian giants are expected to hold out for a fee of around £40million for Openda, and are keen to either sell him permanently or on a loan-to-buy deal.
Openda managed just one goal in Serie A last term, but previously struck 41 across two full campaigns for RB Leipzig.