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Everton have named Colin Chong as Stadium Development Director to spearhead the club's move to Bramley-Moore Dock.

Chong fought off competition from candidates around the country to land the role which was created in the wake of a major staff reshuffle brought about by chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale earlier this summer.

The Everton chief exec says Chong's appointment comes as the club "move towards the crucial planning phases" over the construction of a new £500m ground on the city's waterfront.

Chong is a construction industry specialist whose CV lists a number of major projects including redevelopment work at Old Trafford and the building of Wigan's DW Stadium, as part of 35 years in the trade.

The new appointment also delivered the build of Goodison's Park End Stand in 1994 and has been working for Everton since 2016 as Head of Estates at the club's current home, after joining fromLaing O’Rourke.

Chong said: “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.

“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.”

Chong will be based at the club's new offices ion the Liver Building alongside a team dedicated to the new stadium and legacy project at Goodison.

Everton's Stadium Development Director will report to board member Keith Harris, who has assumed overall responsibility for delivering a new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock in the wake of Robert Elstone's departure, but Chong will be the “day to day” project manager.

Chong has already been involved with the club's Goodison Park legacy project and was central to the move to the Liver Buildings earlier this month.

Barrett-Baxendale 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.

“Colin has extensive experience in delivering stadiums and other large-scale capital projects and, together with our strengthened internal team and a best-in-class team of external advisers, we now have all the resource and expertise we need in place as we move towards the crucial planning phases.

“A key part of Colin’s remit will be to ensure that we consult fully with all groups on both schemes - including finalising designs and capacity and developing the best possible legacy for Goodison Park - and we are entirely committed to doing this.

“I’d like to thank all fans for their support and patience to date and hope that they see this appointment as a positive sign of our ambition to move to Bramley-Moore Dock as soon as we possibly can.”

An official statement from Everton added: “Over the course of the next few months, a period of engagement with local residents regarding the legacy for L4 will be undertaken and a project website containing key information about both schemes will be launched.”