Dan Meis: Designing a football stadium

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 20 August 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The inaugural premier league football match at Everton’s much anticipated new stadium will kick off on 23rd August 2025, as the home side host Brighton & Hove Albion.

Everton Football Club's radical new home was designed by innovative sports architect Dan Meis, who has developed a reputation for out-of-the-box, innovative thinking while creating projects that redefine their respective building types. This includes the design for the Staples Centre in Los Angeles and “transformable” venue in Japan that mechanically changes from arena to stadium.

In 2021, former professional footballer Neil Danns joined Meis, In the Studio, as he commenced the design process for the Everton's new football stadium.

Neil examines the creativity it takes to bring a design to life, exploring the process of the designs, how progress is made and how the ever-present challenges are overcome.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service, the home of original storytelling.
0:06.9	On the 23rd of August 2025, the inaugural Premier League match at Everton's much-anticipated
0:12.9	new stadium will kick off. Back in 2021, former pro footballer Neil Danz joined innovative sports
0:20.0	architect Dan Meese as he commenced the design process for the new football stadium.
0:28.1	The difference between a sports building and other buildings is that they're all about the experience of the people that are there.
0:34.7	An office building, it could be the most famous world tallest tower,
0:38.2	and a lot of people would recognize it.
0:40.2	But it's basically the same thing, just stacked up.
0:43.3	A sports building is all about capturing the sort of history and event and spectacle.
0:47.3	And so this idea of really thinking through how does the building enhance
0:52.4	and create the experience and the memory that people carry
0:55.3	through generations. You are listening to In the Studio on the BBC World Service. I am Neil Danz,
1:04.4	a professional football player, TV sports pundit and a person who is fascinated by all forms of
1:10.7	creativity.
1:12.1	On this episode, I will be taking you on a deep dive
1:15.6	into the creative mind of acclaimed sports architect Dan Meese,
1:20.6	who has created some of the most groundbreaking and well-known stadiums all around the world.
1:34.2	Music well-known stadiums all around the world. As a professional footballer, formerly of the Premier League, I've played in hundreds of
1:39.3	stadiums, some good, some bad, and this is where my interest in sports architecture has stemmed from.
1:46.1	I have played and visited a number of the arenas Dan has designed.
1:52.1	I have admired his work from afar.
1:54.6	I've been aware of the developments in Liverpool around his work,
	...

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