Second Premier League club sell 40,000-seat stadium to themselves in controversial financial move

Jack Otway
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:42:07 +0000

Everton's latest financial accounts have disclosed that the club transferred ownership of Goodison Park and their Women's Super League side to Roundhouse Capital Holdings Ltd for a combined sum of £49.2million.

The transaction effectively saw the Merseyside outfit sell these assets to themselves, as Roundhouse Capital Holdings Ltd is the very same corporate vehicle through which The Friedkin Group completed their takeover of Everton in December 2024.

This accounting manoeuvre generated nearly £50m in revenue on paper, providing a significant boost to the club's financial position following years of struggles under previous ownership.

The financial impact of these sales proved substantial, with Everton's annual losses plummeting from £53.2m to just £8.6m.

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This reporting period spans from July 2024 through June 2025, encompassing both the final campaign at Goodison Park and the initial half-year of Dan Friedkin's stewardship following The Friedkin Group's acquisition.

The stadium and women's team disposals accounted for a considerable portion of this dramatic improvement in the club's bottom line.

Notably, this marks Everton's eighth consecutive year of recording losses, though the club had reportedly been confident of remaining within the Premier League's permitted £105m loss threshold over a rolling three-year period even without these transactions.

Everton are far from alone in employing such financial strategies within English football's top flight.

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Newcastle United have undertaken a comparable arrangement, transferring St James' Park to a related entity within their ownership structure.

Meanwhile, both Chelsea and Aston Villa have opted to separate their women's teams from the main club operations, generating significant sums in the process.

Villa valued their women's side at £55m, whilst Chelsea recorded a figure of £200m for their equivalent transaction.

The Stamford Bridge club has additionally disposed of hotel properties in recent years as part of efforts to satisfy profitability and sustainability regulations.

Following their departure from Goodison Park, Everton have relocated to the newly constructed Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley Moore Docks, a venue boasting capacity exceeding 52,000 seats.

The club achieved record revenues approaching £200million during their final Goodison campaign and anticipate this figure climbing by approximately a quarter to nearly £250m at their new home.

From next season, the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules will be replaced by a squad-cost ratio system, which restricts clubs from allocating more than 85 per cent of their revenue towards player-related expenditure.

Everton believe separating the women's team will enable it to develop commercially as an independent operation.