Using royal blue colours at home of royal blue team might make people fall over - council
Newly uncovered emails show what Liverpool City Council staff had to say about Everton's stadium colour scheme.
Council bosses wanted to restrict the use of royal blue at Everton’s new stadium – in case people fall over.
The 53,000-capacity facility held a successful test event on Monday as the under 18s played Wigan under 18s and it looked glorious.
But Liverpool City Council have long been given designers pointers on how it should look.
I asked the council using freedom-of-information laws for emails sent to and by its staff about the stadium project, as it deals with things like planning permission and road access.
In one email dated August 8, 2024, a council official expressed their concerns to someone involved with the construction project.
The member of staff wrote: “It’s great to see how well the development progressing and the quality of the finishes.
“The site visit helped us understand the particular challenges of delivering the remaining works and it was useful to see the spaces in context.
“(With regards to) Everton Way, I think the latest design is a noticeable improvement over the first proposals and looks generally okay.
“I appreciate the preference to use the royal blue colour taking account this is a football stadium which will eventually be dressed in club colours.
“However, our access officer has suggested the proposed blue border could be problematic for some people such as the visually impaired, people with balance disorders, people with dementia and other conditions.
“This is based on the general principle that ‘busy’ and bright floor patterns can sometimes cause disorientation, misperception and misidentification.”
The council recommended project leaders share the colour-scheme proposals with Everton Disabled Supporters Association and other stakeholders who might be able to provide further guidance.
The officer added: “Otherwise, this could be avoided if a contrasting grey granite colour were used (perhaps with a ‘hint’ or fleck of blue), rather than the bold royal blue proposed.”
According to the club’s website: “Everton Way will be a unique walkway, made up of engraved granite stones that celebrate Evertonians’ births, marriages, anniversaries and loved ones.”
One fan who attended this week’s test event told me: “Everton Way is located underneath the South Stand.
“So, if you’re facing the stadium, then the South Stand is to your left and Everton Way runs most of the length.
“We didn’t walk on it during the test event as it isn’t finished and is currently fenced off.”
In fairness to the council, these design projects do present particular challenges.
They of course want the project to look its best but also want to respect people with additional needs and avoid risking their safety.
Just as most football fans might wonder why people care about which colour kits teams wear, it does matter to the one in 12 fans who are colour blind.
The RNIB has even produced a detailed guide explaining to designers how colour and contrast affects people with sight loss.
Essentially, the thinking is that if a floor is bright or has a detailed pattern, it might cause people with certain conditions to lose their balance or become dizzy – and it’s logical that the council wouldn’t want that.
I asked the disabled supporters association if the club consulted them and they did not respond to my query.
An Everton FC spokesman said: “Everton involved the local authority planning officer along the journey to making Everton Way a key feature of the new stadium footprint.
“The blue border mentioned in the email chain was part of an original design that was later amended in the overall scheme, therefore rendering the conversation redundant.
“The club's accessibility lead has been in communication with his council counterpart, to reassure that we are able to manage and mitigate any potential issues through wayfinding/stewarding /accessibility friendly routes.”
The email exchange generally shows that the council and project managers have had frequent and detailed conversations about the stadium build over a course of months – and no detail has gone unnoticed, which is good to see.
There was one conversation about who might pay for wifi to be installed in or around the stadium – the council or the club.
At some point in 2024, someone broached this subject to the council.
Then on August 8, a club official emailed the council to say: “Essentially, we’re looking at installing a wifi system that could be used by people outside the stadium’s red line (whether that’s over Regent Road, Liverpool Waters etc. as and when developments come forward).
“[Name removed] seems to think the infrastructure we are looking at could possibly save the council/Peel/others money in the future so wanted to have a chat…just to explain what we’re doing so you’re aware.
“An initial discussion with could be mutually beneficial.”
Later the same day, a council officer emailed his colleague to say: “Thought this one had gone away.
“Looks like Everton FC still keen to follow this up with us if possible. Any idea if this falls within our remit? If it’s not council business that’s fine I’ll just tell the club that.”
Then on August 30, the colleague replied, writing: “The 5G programme - Liverpool City Region High Demand Density (HDD).
“A consortium that includes (12 organisations) was successful in securing funding from (the government) to develop a 5G Open Ran system that can handle high-demand density.
“The 5G programme with Liverpool City Region was originally targeted to deliver across five sites in the city region including Everton FC but is now only delivering two in the first phase - M&S Arena and Salt and Tar events space.
“It seems that there are two options (for what we can say to the club in reply to their query. The first is:) Liverpool 5G would be a best fit for this and may wish to pick up again with Everton FC. We could help with facilitating that contact.
“(The second is:) The council is not geared up for external business in this area, but we could arrange for one of business analysts or network specialists to have a discussion with Everton FC.”
Have you visited Everton’s new stadium? What do you think. I’d love to hear your views.