Liverpool has unveiled its plans for hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which features a running track at Everton's new ground.
The city is bidding to stage the event in five years' time after Durban was stripped of the honour by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in March following budgetary concerns.
The UK Government is expected to decide whether Liverpool or Birmingham will become its candidate city in September, and the CGF will then decide between the British choice and bidders from further afield by the end of the year.
At the heart of the bid is the proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which was recently given the green light to be Premier League club Everton's new abode.
It has now been confirmed that the ground would incorporate a temporary athletics track for use in 2022, though Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, an Evertonian himself, is confident that such a provisional installation would not disrupt the club's plans for its new home.
🔵 | @mayor_anderson's open letter to all Evertonians after the City unveils plan to host 2022 Commonwealth Games: https://t.co/n7B7cItLqT. pic.twitter.com/wmbksOJ89L
- Everton (@Everton) June 16, 2017
"First and foremost, it will be a football stadium," he said. "It will be developed as a football stadium. What we will do is drop in a running track and then remove the running track so it retains its atmospheric face as a football stadium, which Evertonians want, which I want, which the football club want.
"That won't be in doubt. Everton will have a super, super stadium fit for Everton and what it wants for its fans and the future of Everton Football Club.
"They recognise helping us achieve the Commonwealth Games vision is also beneficial to them in terms of the waterfront, and the iconic location of the stadium, will be transformed across the world."
As part of the plans an athletes' village would also be built next to Everton's new home, while the idea is for the triple jump, long jump and pole vault events to be hosted on the docks at Mann Island.
Anfield would stage the rugby sevens and opening ceremony, Goodison Park would be the venue for the boxing finals and nearby Manchester would host the cycling events at its velodrome, while there are provisions for Emirates Old Trafford to be the site for Twenty20 cricket should that sport be introduced for 2022.