September 22 – Liverpool have confirmed the club will move forward with Anfield’s expansion with stadium capacity set to top 60,000. Groundwork for the expansion is expected to start this week.
In June, the city’s council green lighted the plans to add 7,000 more seats to the Anfield Road Stand, taking the stadium’s overall capacity to more than 61,000. The redevelopment follows an upgrade to Anfield’s Main Stand, completed in 2016.
“The redeveloped Anfield Road Stand is anticipated to be ready for the 2023-24 season and its design will see the lower tier retained and refurbished with a new upper tier built above it,” read a club statement.
“Throughout the design process, careful consideration has once again been given to Anfield’s world-class atmosphere through the development of an acoustic and lighting strategy to match that of the one developed with the Main Stand.”
The expansion will make Anfield the third biggest stadium in the Premier League behind Manchester United’s Old Trafford and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With the bigger capacity Anfield will also host six concerts a year and other major events.
Estimates put the increased revenue the expansion will create at £40 million per season.
The plans were first drawn up in 2014 and included a two-staged public consultation.
“We have been clear from the beginning that in order for this expansion to go ahead we needed the co-operation of local residents and the community, to successfully navigate the complex planning landscape and to ensure the project is financially viable,” said Liverpool’s managing director Andy Hughes.
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