Liverpool are owned by the Fenway Sports Group. When FSG acquired the team in 2010, Anfield could only hold 45,362 spectators. Although there had been discussions about moving, the team decided to stay at Anfield. The Premier League stadium will undergo changes.
Prior to the amazing renovation of the Anfield Road Stand, which increased capacity to 61,000,. The Main Stand of Liverpool was the first to undergo significant renovation, adding 9,000 seats in 2016.
Undoubtedly, there are issues with Anfield’s continued expansion. With no room for expansion, the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand and the Kop run parallel to residences. Along with a major thoroughfare and stores, respectively.
If they were to consider making major changes, which is improbable, to put it mildly, it would have a tremendous effect on the neighbourhood that currently surrounds the stadium in Liverpool.
It is more likely that other sections of the current stadium will receive attention, as Sam Kennedy, chief executive officer of FSG, said at a conference in 2022.
“We’ll see what ancillary development might be possible.”
“As residential as Fenway is, Fenway is zoned for entertainment, hospitality, retail, and other types of activities. Anfield is a residential neighbourhood, so we have to be mindful of that and respectful of that.
“You’ll probably see us focus more inside than outside in the future.”
The Kop Bar in the Kop is one such example, replacing the old club shop. There are also plans for an ‘underground fan zone’ in the new Anfield Road Stand in Liverpool.
This kind of localized development also includes additional hospitality lounges, renovated concourses, and newly constructed public bikes and footpaths.
Liverpool to renovate Anfield
If one more stand were to be developed, it would probably be the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand. Because it is the oldest, has the least amount of legroom, and has the fewest amenities for fans.
A report from 2023 stated that,
“FSG will look to improve the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, which has a current capacity of 12,000,”
“If they do—and no final decision has been made—then reconfiguring the areas in the lower tier to give fans more room would see capacity drop.”
Alex Miller, a reporter for the Mail who has been well-informed on stadium-related issues of Liverpool during FSG’s tenure, wrote the report on Sunday.
This would not give supporters an increase in seats they would be looking for. However, it would update a stand that is over 30 years old, offering modern facilities and wider internal concourses.
Hopes for a refurbishment along the lines of Anfield Road End or the Main Stand would be mostly impossible. However, given that there are fully occupied houses directly behind the stand on Skerries Road, it is simply not feasible.
Space is limited in the immediate vicinity around the ground. This does not allow FSG to pursue a vast development on existing land.
They have previously tried it at the renowned home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park.
Liverpool Council, however, is continuing to push for more neighborhood revitalization. Completing designs for a £4 million project to modernize the stadium’s main thoroughfare.
“Creating a greener and safer experience for residents and visitors” is the main goal. giving top importance to “a visually more appealing and healthier public street scene.”
The council is looking for a “new development that is rooted and focused on community inclusion” for Anfield Square, the land across from the club shop on Walton Breck Road. Updates are anticipated for this summer. The land will not be developed as a hotel.
There is still a lot of room for internal and external development at Anfield, even though it might not see the kind of major changes that the Main Stand and Anfield Road End have experienced.
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