English Premier League football club Everton has named Colin Chong as stadium development director to help oversee construction of its new home at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Chong, a construction industry specialist, will take on the newly created role having delivered a range of large-scale projects, including the Park Stand at Everton’s Goodison Park current home in 1994.
With more than 35 years’ experience in the development sector, Chong has been involved at a senior-level in other stadium redevelopment projects, such as at Old Trafford, the home of Premier League club Manchester United, and the Manchester Commonwealth Games stadium.
“I feel privileged to have the opportunity to play a key role in the delivery of what will be a great project, not only for Everton Football Club but also for the City of Liverpool,” Chong said.
“The club has already done a huge amount of work to get us to our current position, spending millions of pounds to make sure that any scheme we develop is right for the club and our fans, that the design principles are right and, crucially, that it’s affordable.
“This is a long and complex process, but we have put together a well-resourced team of internal staff and consultants to ensure we are able to drive this forward effectively.”
Everton last month revealed it was planning to undertake further engagement and consultation with supporters to ensure the new stadium matches their requirements.
The club is yet to make a final decision on detailed designs or capacity for the venue.
Denise Barrett-Baxendale, chief executive of Everton, said: “The appointment of Colin as our stadium development director is an important step for us.
“Whilst we have made progress on our plans for Bramley-Moore Dock – as well legacy plans for the Goodison Park site – there is a lot of detailed and complex work to do to enable our move to happen.
“The fact that he has had some involvement in the project so far – albeit without being wholly dedicated to it – means he can really hit the ground running with an awareness of what needs to be done next.”
Image: Ben Sutherland
Share this