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STAND by for Operation Goodison.

When the final whistle blew at around ten to five on May 15, for most of the 36,691 inside Goodison Park it signified the start of the close-season ... a time for fans and players alike to relax and take a short break from the intense schedule of the Premier League.

However, for many of the teams working behind-the-scenes at Goodison, the curtain coming down on the 2015/16 campaign meant a rolling up of the sleeves to tackle some of the most challenging close-season projects the club has ever taken on.

Fans will be already aware that when they return to watch Premier League action at the Grand Old Lady on August 13, there will be two stands bearing the names of “two of the greatest Evertonians of all time” - Chairman Bill Kenwright’s apt description for The Sir Philip Carter Park Stand and the Howard Kendall Gwladys Street End.

Fans will also know that work is underway on an extensive refurbishment project that will see existing towers – and new ones - clad in royal blue, huge graphics wrapped around three of the stands and a new lighting system which will illuminate the Grand Old Lady like never before.

Fans have played their part in this makeover too.

Over the summer, the Everton Fans’ Forum has asked fans to submit personal messages and images to the club that will feature across stadium concourses alongside classic imagery and famous Everton stories and songs.

The first phase of this concourse project will be unveiled ahead of the Espanyol game in just over a week’s time.

But, there’s more. Much more ...

Wi-Fi in hospitality lounges has been upgraded - and will be provided free-of-charge for members. A number of hospitality lounges have had cosmetic makeovers - with the Goodison Boardroom set to be upgraded later in the year.

New disabled toilet and changing facilities will be installed later in 2016 as part of the Changing Places project together with accessible low counters for disabled fans. This work is being led by Michelle Kirk, the Blues’ first Disability Access Officer - the first appointed by any Premier League Club.

This appointment is part of the club’s ongoing commitment to equality and diversity. In 2016 Everton were awarded the Premier League Intermediate award for Equality and Diversity and have since made a commitment to pursue the Advanced Award.

Upgraded toilet facilities in the Gwladys Street End.

Getting into the ground will be easier too. A new access control system will provide speedier access through the turnstiles and, due to its sophisticated data collection, provides the platform for future loyalty card schemes.

But it’s the activity in the roads around the stadium that has made this summer so unique.

Over the last few months the club’s Operations and Neighbourhood teams have been working alongside local residents and businesses to make a number of improvements in-and-around L4.

These ongoing projects include:

Restoring a number of homes and businesses on Goodison Road. Number 23 will become a base for the Blues’ relatively new Fan Based Services team and provide a place for Evertonians to give ideas and feedback to club officials.

Number 25 will house Everton in the Community teams working on social inclusion projects. Number 41 has been refurbished as an adult life-skills centre, again run by the club’s community programme. Everton have offered to fund the exterior redecoration of a number of other properties on Goodison Road, including Susan’s Hairdressing Salon and the Goodison Café, which last season was re-rendered and decorated with a mural of Graeme Sharp.

The biggest development, however, will be the new Community Hub on Spellow Lane. The Hub, which will be re-named and officially launched by October, will include a Social Enterprise café, an artificial community-use football pitch, a Teen Zone for local teenagers to come to socialise and learn, a Family Zone for socialising or to provide respite for adults from the local community, counselling areas, training and meeting rooms, and a health and well-being studio – all open to the public.

Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Director at Everton Football Club, and the project lead for these initiatives, said: “Clearly it’s been a very busy summer for our Stadium, Operations, IT and Neighbourhood teams. And while that’s nothing new, this year’s been particularly challenging, but also very exciting!

“Every summer we look to improve the stadium facilities for our fans ahead of that first whistle being blown. This year our work has extended to outside the stadium and to a number of projects that we know will make a real impact in our local area.

“We know we play an important part in our community, not just on matchdays but each and every day of the year.

“I hope people will see that through the work we have started on Goodison Road and the development of the Community Hub, we are making positive improvements, not just to the built environment, but through initiatives that will help local people in their day-to-day lives.

“I’m really grateful to my teams who have worked tirelessly over the summer and to the local businesses and residents who have worked with us. It’s been a lot of work – and we’re not done yet- but we all know it will be well worth it’s all complete!”

On top of this, there’s planning for the Holy Trinity statue and the ongoing major redevelopment project at Finch Farm.

Close-season? It isn’t for Everton’s Operations team!