Mon Jun 9 16:25:38 2008

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Toffees given ground boost

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Liverpool, England (Sports Network) - Everton's move away from Goodison Park has taken a step forward after Knowsley Borough Council backed their plans for a new stadium in Kirkby.

The Toffees are hoping to move to a new 55,000-seater arena and their planning proposal, which was jointly submitted by the club and supermarket giant Tesco, was passed by a majority of 20 councillors to one.

The plans will now go before central government to see whether an inquiry is required.

"We are absolutely delighted with the outcome and I think the fact the vote was in no way close shows that the Knowsley Borough councillors are ready to embrace the regeneration of the Kirkby area," chief executive Keith Wyness told the club's official website.

"This is another major step forward for us as a football club as we seek to find a new home.

"The next big step comes in the form of trying to ensure the project is not 'called-in' for inquiry form the government.

"Hopefully, they will look at this decisive result and accept that the future of this project should be decided at a local rather than a national level."

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)