On August 17th, 2024, Everton embarked on what promises to be an emotional and historic season – its final campaign at Goodison Park.

Nestled in the heart of Liverpool, Goodison Park has been more than just a stadium for Everton Football Club; it has been a cornerstone of the club’s identity since its doors first opened in 1892. The ground was one of the first purpose-built football stadiums in the world, and it has played host to countless memorable moments in English football history. With its grand old stands, towering floodlights, and the roar of the Gwladys Street faithful, Goodison Park has been a fortress and a sanctuary for generations of Evertonians.

The stadium has seen Everton through thick and thin, from the club’s early successes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to its dominant periods in the 1960s and 1980s. Goodison has been the stage for many legendary players, from Dixie Dean, who scored a record 60 goals in a single league season in 1927-28, to the more recent heroes like Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill. The ground’s character and atmosphere have made it one of the most revered in English football.

For 132 years, Goodison Park has been synonymous with top-flight football. Everton has spent more seasons in the highest tier of English football than any other club, having only missed four seasons since their formation in 1878. This long tenure at the top of the English game is a source of immense pride for the club and its supporters, and Goodison Park has been at the heart of that remarkable consistency.

More than just a football ground, Goodison it is a place where memories have been made and passed down through generations. It is a place where fathers and sons, mothers and daughters have shared the highs and lows of supporting Everton.

The season opener against Brighton & Hove Albion ended in disappointment as Everton fell to a 3-0 defeat, highlighting the challenges the team faces in what is expected to be another tough Premier League campaign. With relegation battles in recent seasons, the club must find a way to balance the sentimentality of their farewell to Goodison with the pragmatism needed to secure their Premier League status before they transition to Bramley-Moore Dock.

Photographer Guirec Munier was on hand to capture the opening day of Everton’s final season at Goodison Park. With a keen eye for emotion and atmosphere, Munier documented fans as they embarked on this historic season, his work reflecting the deep connection between the supporters and their beloved stadium. His images, shot on film, will serve as a poignant tribute to the enduring spirit of the Everton faithful as they bid farewell to Goodison for the last time.

“Goodison Park. August 17, 2024. The first day of the rest of its life. The countdown is well and truly on, for the very last time, the Toffees open their season at Walton and a nascent scent of nostalgia floats around Goodison. Everyone seems to have realised that each moment must be captured with the greatest delicacy and cherished forever, even those that seemed banal until now.

“While the Mr. Whippy ice cream van sits in front of the entrance to Stanley Park, the pubs anchored on Goodison Road are packed and the regulars spill out onto the roadway in large numbers, mingling with the compact crowd. People talk, drink, eat, live.

“Many young children are present, their parents, their grandparents, their uncles and their aunts, desperate for the family legacy to continue and for a little piece of Goodison Park to nestle in their hearts.

“The 1878s, determined to give Goodison Park the send off it deserves throughout the next nine months, set the tone in the Gwladys as kick-off approaches. There’s nothing like a beautiful sunny afternoon to start a 122nd season at the highest level. And there’s nothing like the first game of the season to pay a vibrant tribute to Super Kevin Campbell in the ninth minute. But like the sun, the atmosphere declines decrescendo with the goals conceded.

“Beyond the heartbreak that the abandonment of Goodison Park will represent, it’s also the ecosystem that beats to the rhythm of the stadium that Everton fans will lose forever. The Winslow Hotel that has quenched the thirst of Evertonians since the first ball was kicked at Goodison, the Lucky’s Blue Dragon chippy open only on match days, St Luke’s Church practically backing onto the Main Stand designed by Archibald Leitch, the terraced houses of Gwladys Street that have survived the stadium’s expansion and the Second World War, and the others whose blue blood flows through their veins, they form a great whole.

“After 18th May 2025, and the move to the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey, all will experience the demise of the Grand Old Lady of English football. And not just them”

The defeat served as a stark reminder of how difficult the season could be. Everton’s loyal fan base will undoubtedly rally behind their team more than ever, providing the kind of passionate support that has made Goodison Park such an intimidating venue for visiting teams.

The move away from Goodison represents a new chapter in Everton’s long and illustrious story. While the future is exciting, the departure from Goodison Park will undoubtedly be emotional. Evertonians will carry the spirit of Goodison to their new home, but the memories of their time at the grand old ground will always hold a special place in their hearts.

For Evertonians, this is more than just a football season; it is the end of an era. As the club prepares to transition to a new chapter at Bramley-Moore Dock, the memories and the spirit of Goodison Park will continue to inspire future generations of Everton supporters.

Follow Guirec Munier and his football photography on Instagram.

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