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Liverpool to end stadium saga with £150m plan to rebuild Anfield into 60,000 home
Liverpool's American owners will end the club's 10-year stadium saga by committing to develop Anfield as a refurbished 60,000-capacity venue, including 7,000 'corporate' seats.
The club publicly maintain that no final decision has yet been made between refurbishment and a new stadium but detailed plans are in place for a phased expansion of the Main Stand and then the Anfield Road stand.
The work is expected to cost about £150 million, a huge saving on the estimated £400m that a new stadium in Stanley Park would cost, although an estimated £50m has been spent by the club on designs and planning for a new stadium.
Naming rights might have helped to subsidise a new venue but no suitable deal has been found.
Liverpool City Council have been working closely with the club on stadium options for years and for a long time were in favour of a new stadium, to be shared with Everton.
The council now believe that official confirmation on the refurbishment is imminent from John W Henry's Fenway Sports Group.
A council spokesman said: 'It does seem to be the case that the club have decided to stay at Anfield and that Liverpool officials are preparing to confirm the decision'.
The importance of resolving the stadium situation is highlighted by today's sell-out game against Manchester United at Anfield, which will generate about £1.5m in revenues for Liverpool.
The corresponding match at Old Trafford will generate more than £3m not just because United have more seats but better corporate facilities for which the club can charge more.
Anfield's 45,000-seat capacity and structure limits the extent to which Liverpool can mount a realistic challenge to rivals including United (who have 76,000 seats) and Arsenal (60,000) – on and off the pitch.
Henry himself has long been supportive of the idea that Liverpool's long-time home should remain their home.
He feels the club can develop without moving in the way that his baseball club, the Boston Red Sox, have done at their home, Fenway Park.
Henry dropped another heavy hint in June that a refurbished Anfield was his preference when tweeting a link to a blog by a Liverpool architect, Peter McGurk, that suggested Liverpool should stay put.
McGurk has no connection to the club or redevelopment.
Council regeneration plans for the area around Liverpool have provided a solution to the long-running problem of freeing up land for Anfield's expansion.
The council intend to acquire property for demolition and refurbishment - and crucially now have the option of applying for compulsory purchase orders if required.
The council will be hoping to avoid any drastic action by offering residents the full market values of their homes plus compensation and relocation costs
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:03 am
