Fans' groups welcomed Everton's contingency plans for safe-standing areas in the new stadium that could increase its capacity by 10,000, according to the BBC. The club is expected to submit proposals for its £500M ($643M) Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium later in '19. The venue will initially house 52,000 seats, "but that could increase if the government permits safe standing." Everton FC Supporters Association Chair John Blain said, "We can't financially compete without a larger capacity. There are others who are not convinced we could consistently fill a 60,000-capacity stadium to justify the extra £70 million ($90M) or so in construction costs and wonder about the negative impact if seats are empty." Peter Daykin, the head of the Football Supporters' Federation safe-standing campaign, said that "including the new areas could result in cheaper tickets." He said, "We are not backing the campaign to give supporters the choice to stand because we expect prices to come down but, obviously, if they do, we will be delighted" (BBC, 1/16).
