http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool-fc-owners-put-money-5906686 -------------------------------------- Fenway Sports Group will have the cash to redevelop Anfield once property acquisitions, planning processes and other issues are resolved. Thatâs the pledge from John Henry to anyone doubting the Reds owners will put their money where their mouth is on ambitious £150m stadium redevelopment plans. The club has endured a decade of failed stadium plans and broken promises under previous regimes. But if and when âcertaintyâ with partners and processes is achieved, the cash will be there to fund it says, Henry. Liverpool FC are working with Liverpool City Council and the Your Housing Group on a major redevelopment plan for the whole Anfield area, which is already well underway in parts of the run down district. The Reds want to massively redevelop the Main Stand and Anfield Road stands, giving the stadium a new look and feel and crucially a capacity of around 60,000 â 15,000 more seats than at present. It is a remoulding model successfully employed by FSG at the Boston Red Sox famous Fenway Park baseball home a few years back. Said Henry: âWe are making good progress. âThere are a lot of different groups working very well together and thatâs the key to a big project like this happening, when everybody is on the same page. When everybody is on the same page, we move forward. âI think we were clear at one point that what made financial sense was going in this direction - and this is the direction that makes financial sense for the club for a long time. âObstacles are being overcome.â Henry would not speculate on when a planning application might be able to be put in saying: âWe have always said you have to have certainty with regard to the properties because of the height of the stand and all of the issues regarding that. So thatâs been the biggest issue. âWe need certainty on that. But we are making progress. Added Henry: â It is actually a positive. Thatâs why we are doing it. âThe previous regime (Hicks and Gillett) were talking about going out and borrowing an enormous amount of money to build an enormous new facility. Thatâs not what weâre doing. âOne of their problems was that they werenât able to get financing. When this happens, financing wonât be the problem. âAgain we just need certainty with regard to these properties and the number of properties that are in question keeps getting reduced. âThe City Council is doing everything they can and thatâs all we can ask. Not just the city council, but Your Housing and the regeneration. âEveryone associated with this â we are all on the same page.â
I don't think they'd sell the name, it's too iconic. It's used on so much merchandise. They seem to appreciate that sort of thing. Although I could see 'Welcome to the Warriors Sports Anfield Arena'.
oh there's be someones name o nthe seats... lads who cares. reebok and adidas were on the seats for years. in the end theres between 1 and 5 houses still to go... so i'd encourage gerrard, suarez, johnson, henderson and toure to give up one weeks wages to sweeten the pot for these holdouts.
i would say on the stadium that they'd maybe maybe retain half the main stand but thats what they did on the centenary stand. do we think they could take half way and put in corporate boxes then a second teir or what? it's mean 6 months in the rain for reds fans.... the anfield road end would require thought. its two tier now so would you retain bottm half and build or take the whole thing down? who knows..... in the end they will do one side a season. could do anfield road end first and accomodate away fans in centenary stand upper perhaps and then knock the whole main stand... i dunno not worrying about it till planning is done.
Thanks SJD but it doesn't really answer my question. The Fenway project appears more like an update to existing facilities whereas at Anfield it would be a major rebuild. However, without knowing what the outline plans look like I've no idea of the complexities. If anybody has either inside info or works for a major builder, I'd really like to hear what they think.
Glad we're staying at Anfield, there's too much important/significant heritage type stuff to close and demolish it. What would they have done with the Hillsborough mem and Shankly gates etc, remove and resite them? But then the place is as important as the thing in terms of cultural memory. I'd contrast it with Arsenal moving from Highbury to the Emirates, there weren't the same important and deep connections there so the decision to move perhaps wasn't as hard.
The last thing I read said one of the main stands was going to be extended/capacity raised and I think it said the others would be updated/upgraded as well as infrastructure - catering area etc. Find out who the architects are.
True but after the redevelopment of Anfield, is there further scope to expand further? Old Trafford is 75k and I would like to reach that if not more.
Def. I see it as being similar to what they did there, just keep adding to the stands so it becomes almost a modern oval/circular stadium like the Allianz arena or Wembley. Sure, it won't be as seamless but good architects and designers will come up with a complimentary solution. If you look at OT it kind of looks pieced together but also kind of ok too. Haha.
Aye, if this redevelopment goes to plan and there's still a need for more seats, then I can see them filling in the corners to increase the capacity from 60,000 to 70,000... however, lets get the first bit first!
I believe the problem with any further expansion is that we can't expand further outwards? Which means we will have to keep building layers and building upwards which then conflicts with the 'Right To Light' law? Hopefully I'm wrong because I would love to build a 'cauldron' similar to the Bernabeu and Nou Camp!
Does anyone remember whether the original plans for the Kop End included provision for a second tier? I might be mis-remembering this, but I thought the original design included the option for replacing the roof with a second tier and new roof at a later date?
I thought I heard that they also plan on extending the Kop but still keep it a single tier.. that would be most impressive if done right, similar to the Kop at Dortmunds ground! I understand it will take time but I'd like to see some drafts of what the new rebuilt stadium will look like.. #notpatient
Let's stop talking higher and higher attendance numbers as though they are the answer to everything. I have to agree with JH on this one. What is the point of providing more seats when the cost of doing so is either higher than the seat can return (at normal prices) or demand an unrealistic price or requires that the seat is allocated to corporate boxes?
