Combining my lifelong obsession with Everton and my profession in consumer insight has been fascinating. At conversationpartners.ai, we do exactly what our name suggests — have real conversations with real people — and then use technology to simplify and amplify the insights. The result: high-quality, fast, and cost-effective understanding that works wherever there’s an audience and a conversation to be had.
Last Saturday, Everton fans filled the new Hill Dickinson Stadium for a 50,000-strong test event. By today (Wednesday), after speaking with supporters in the simplest way possible — they talk, we listen — I’m confident I know how they feel, what they love, and what needs fine-tuning. No sprawling quantitative survey needed. Here are just a few headlines
The Big Wins
Feedback on the big, strategic elements is overwhelmingly positive. Fans describe the stadium as world class and the best in the country, with a “wow” factor and stunning location.
“It’s the best in this country. In any football setting there are, there are some decent grounds, but I think we have got the best one.”
One striking insight from our conversational approach: for the first time in decades, Everton feels visible across the entire city. Walking routes, pubs, and pre-match rituals now spill into the heart of Liverpool, making matchdays unmistakably “Everton weekends.”
“The city is going to really be an Everton weekend day, whichever days it on, and it felt stunning, but it felt part of something new, bigger, and just Evertonia being all over the city, not just on Saturday, even Sunday.”
The emotional touches matter too. The 36,000 engraved stones along “The Everton Way” give fans a tangible and lasting connection to their new home. The digital ticketing worked well overall, and while the climb to some seats is steep, the views and atmosphere more than make up for it.
“The Everton Way and the stones that fans had bought, there I will be part of the match experience for a lot of people. And everyone looking for their stone… it means a lot to a lot of people…”
The Small Fixes
Where there’s room for improvement, it’s mostly tactical — and fixable:
- Pricing Pints at £6.75 and Blue doughnuts at £6.50 feel off to Everton’s proud, working-class base. There’s huge potential for in-stadium spending, but pricing needs to reflect the realities of “legacy” fans, not just premium hospitality customers.
- Transport Clearly, responsibility spreads beyond the club and there is work to do. Buses scored well, but train links are weak, and that pleasant August walk from the city centre will be less appealing in November gales . Better infrastructure — and even more bus capacity — will be essential.
- Food & Beverage Operations Fans reported stock shortages and poor communication in queues. This isn’t about budget — it’s about leadership, planning, and customer care on the day. “There was clearly a lack of leadership, a lack of kind of information. People queuing up, and they basically got to the front. There was no stock.”
The Bigger Picture
The Hill Dickinson is a landmark moment — perhaps the day Everton truly “arrived” in the Premier League era, 33 years on. The big stuff is spot on; the small stuff can be fixed quickly with the right understanding. And that’s the point — you don’t need slow, costly, over-engineered research to know this.
If you want clear, actionable insight from real conversations with real people, that’s what we do at conversationpartners.ai. And as Everton’s final test event at their new home showed, the right conversations can tell you everything you need to know — fast. Let me know your thoughts and feel free to contact me to discuss where you need to hear real conversations with real people
