Liverpool FC to Begin Anfield Main Stand Expansion

Liverpool Football Club has confirmed the expansion of the Main Stand at Anfield Stadium will begin on Monday.

The construction work is due to be completed during the 2016-17 season and will add around 8,500 additional seats, taking the Main Stand capacity to over 20,000 and overall Anfield capacity to around 54,000, which will significantly increase the club’s revenues.

Tom Werner, Liverpool chairman, said: “Since Fenway Sports Group took ownership of the club, we were committed to explore in depth all options for the future of Anfield Stadium.

“We listened to fans, the community, partners, the Supporters’ Committee and key stakeholders involved in the club.

“It was just over two years ago that we said our preference was to stay at Anfield and here we are today announcing that the expansion is going ahead.

“We have made more progress in the past two years than in the last decade.

“Having experience of expanding Fenway Park and being through a similar and very successful project for the Red Sox, everyone at FSG is extremely proud and excited to be part of expanding Anfield Stadium.”

The expanded Main Stand will become one of the largest all-seater stands in Europe’s top divisions and will consist of three tiers, with the existing lower tier re-profiled to accommodate a widened player tunnel, new team benches, media platform and wheelchair viewing positions.

The project will also include extra conference and banqueting facilities, a new club shop and more car parking.

The expansion is part of a wider £260m regeneration of the Anfield area of the city.

Chief executive officer Ian Ayre commented: “Today is an important milestone in the history of Liverpool Football Club.

“Since we embarked upon this journey we have always said that we need certainty; we now have that certainty and will progress with the expansion of the Main Stand.

“We received very positive support for this expansion during a public consultation exercise and today is also an important step for the wider regeneration of the Anfield area.

“There has been a tremendous amount of work done to get us where we are today but this is just the beginning.

“This is a major construction project which will take place during the football season and while we will make every effort to minimise any impact or disruption to normal operations, we ask for the continued support and understanding from our fans and the local community.

“Expanding Anfield is very much part of our long-term strategy of growing the club and on behalf of the directors, players and staff, I’d like to thank the local community and residents, our fans, Liverpool City Council and Your Housing Group for all their support.”

The landscape improvements around the Main Stand will integrate into the neighbourhood and improve wider connections to Stanley Park as well as creating a space for fans to gather and enhance the experience of those visiting the stadium on matchdays and non-matchdays.

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