Club announce plan to stay at Anfield

By Olivavu, Mon 15/10/12 at 18:59

Fenway Sports Group has marked the two-year anniversary of its purchase of Liverpool by confirming it wishes to remain at a refurbished, 60,000-capacity Anfield costing around £150m. The redevelopment will be funded by the club's own banking facilities and is dependent on Liverpool city council negotiating the purchase, and demolition, of surrounding homes.

Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre and the city's mayor, Joe Anderson, hailed the decision "a major step forward" in the wider regeneration of north Liverpool, although no guarantees or plans on the new stadium were provided at the announcement at Liverpool Town Hall. "They are not questions for today," said Ayre.

"That will only come when we've got certainty." The Anfield official did, however, effectively signal the end of Liverpool's decade-long pursuit of a new stadium on nearby Stanley Park. He added: "Stanley Park is off the table if we can be sure there is a solution [to staying at Anfield] and we believe there is a solution."

European funding worth £8m was spent on preparatory work for a new stadium on Stanley Park under Liverpool's previous owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and may have to be repaid. "We are looking at the option of using that money in a wider regeneration sense," said Anderson, who denied the new build and the development of an Anfield Plaza was always the council's preferred option. "We don't believe the money will have to be paid back."

Despite the lack of stadium detail, Ayre insisted Liverpool are well advanced with plans to solve a problem that has plagued successive club owners. It is believed the refurbishment of Anfield will consist of a new Main Stand and Anfield Road end, each to be built behind the existing stands to minimise disruption – and loss of revenue – during the season. A planning application is expected to be submitted next spring.

Ayre said: "We continue to look at various designs and solutions. We have spoken to professionals about the financing of it, the building of it, the construction of it – all of this had to be done before we even got to this stage today. We wouldn't have sat in front of everyone here just to say we might be able to find something that works on this piece of land. A lot of advance work has gone on. It is important to manage peoples' expectations. There have been too many false dawns."The city council will have to negotiate deals with homeowners around the stadium to make room for Anfield's expansion and, where necessary, serve compulsory purchase orders. "The next steps are out of our hands," Ayre added. "It is not Liverpool that is acquiring the properties, it is the city council and Your Housing Group (a social housing developer).We have passed the ball really. If we get through this next stage then it becomes the role of the planners and whether our planning application will be accepted."

There is no naming rights deal required for the redevelopment of Anfield, unlike the new build in Stanley Park, and Liverpool's existing banking arrangements will provide the estimated £154m cost. Liverpool have fallen behind their Premier League rivals due to the stalled stadium issue – making £40.9m from match-day revenue according to Deloitte's figures for 2012 compared to £108.6m by Manchester United, £93.1m at Arsenal and Chelsea's £67.5m – and Ayre insists expenditure on Anfield will not impact on the manager's transfer budget. "It will not impact on transfers," he said. "The whole point of this is it has to improve revenue, not detract from it, and the return has to be fast."

Ayre added: "The one of three revenue streams that we don't compete well at currently is match-day revenue. There is a big difference and over three or four years it is a significant number. Hopefully what we are talking about today is the right solution. It is also, I believe, the one our fans would most want to see. To continue to compete in this world, particularly with Financial Fair Play coming in and having to live within your means, this is something we have to do well at.

"We can become competitive again but we have to be smarter about how we go about our business. We came in for a lot of criticism over how much we did or didn't spend in the transfer market this time but we have to do it sustainably and responsibly. The young players that people are getting excited about are partly there because that is a better way. We have to find the balance. We can still compete but it is going to be harder."

Steven Gerrard welcomed the decision to redevelop Anfield. "I'm really pleased," the captain said. "I've had some special occasions at Anfield and so have the club.

"If they are going to spend all that money on Anfield and improve it then fantastic … A lot of history and important things have happened at Anfield and I think it is fantastic Liverpool are staying there."

http://m.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/oct/15/liverpool-staying-anfield-repay-funding?cat=football&type=article

Great news. I have always wanted us to stay at Anfield.

EddieC
Mon 15/10/12 at 19:02

Excellent news, shame we wasted a lot of time & money looking into Stanley Park though.

Olivavu
Mon 15/10/12 at 19:10

Agreed. But FSG have taken their time and made no false promises - like the previous owners.

60,000 isn't top level in terms of capacity, but it is another third on top of the current.

BigDonga
Tue 16/10/12 at 05:57

Extremely happy with that.

They seem to be very good owners so far.

Pity we wasted all that money on Carroll and Downing. As the only criticism people tend to have is that they didn't back Rodgers, but I think they were right not too give him too much in his first transfer window.

LFC SUB
Tue 16/10/12 at 07:44

Liverpool belong at anfield!

jcallen29
Tue 16/10/12 at 11:13

60000 capacity is not bad. Shame we couldn't go a bit bigger. Glad we are staying at anfield though.

Nicho
Tue 16/10/12 at 12:02

I think to increase the capacity beyond 60K the club would have to, by law, subsidise the transport infrastructure to assist access and departure from the venue. I remember reading this somewhere but can't remember the source.

ArtonSG8
Tue 16/10/12 at 18:23

It seems like we are staying at Anfield.I am very happy for that.

Steven Gerrard says he is thrilled that Liverpool will be staying at Anfield rather than building a new stadium.

The Reds have confirmed their intention to redevelop the ground and Liverpool captain Gerrard says the decision is "fantastic" news.

He said: "I'm really pleased. I've had some special occasions at Anfield and so have the club.

"If they are going to spend all that money on Anfield and improve it then fantastic. I'm very happy at that news.

"A lot of history and important things have happened at Anfield and I think it is fantastic Liverpool are staying there."
Steven Gerrard Quotes of the week

"It is major news for the club. It has been on everyone's lips for a number of years now, would we move away from Anfield or reinvent Anfield?

"I've been like everyone, waiting for the verdict on that, and it looks like it is going to be Anfield which is great.

"A lot of history and important things have happened at Anfield and I think it is fantastic Liverpool are staying there.

Stevie feels that too.

ArtonSG8
Tue 16/10/12 at 18:43

http://www.thisisanfield.com/2012/10/how-a-redeveloped-anfield-could-look/

I like it.

Richard II
Tue 16/10/12 at 21:34

I'm glad they're staying at Anfield. It's an historical landmark, maybe not officially, but it should be. I just hope to be able to go there someday.

AL___AAHIL
Wed 17/10/12 at 14:35

Quote from: Richard II on Tue 16/10/12 at 21:34

I just hope to be able to go there someday.

Me too

Manu-23
Thu 18/10/12 at 11:48

i m glad we stay at Anfield but what about the mess during 2-3 years while they break and rebuild new stands !!!! it's been happening like that at Marseille and instead having an average at 40K i read that they were at 22 or 25 K !!!!

taxijeff
Thu 18/10/12 at 16:31

Quote from: Manu-23 on Thu 18/10/12 at 11:48

i m glad we stay at Anfield but what about the mess during 2-3 years while they break and rebuild new stands !!!! it's been happening like that at Marseille and instead having an average at 40K i read that they were at 22 or 25 K !!!!

I think they are building "behind the 2 stands" that are being changed to limit the amount of time that the 2 stands will be out of use,,besides,i am sure the KOP and Centenary stands' will make "enough" noise until the stadium is finished

Nicho
Thu 18/10/12 at 21:25

Centenary, but I think you're right about the building plans. I'm sure they will make sure there is minimal disruption during the season. Summers always the best time for construction work anyway.

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