Liverpool Managing Director Ian Ayre explained today why there has been so little said over the new stadium in the last few months:
“The new stadium in the park comes down to the economics; how do we pay it back? It needs a big naming partner. Until you get the answer to those questions it would be wrong and unprofessional for us to make a statement about what we are doing.”
John W Henry also stated on twitter that a great deal was going on behind the scenes saying:
“An incredible amount of work has been underway on this issue. It would be helpful for fans to get an official update.”
Hopefully we will be getting an update soon but for the time being, it looks as if the main area of enquiry at the moment is over whether the Reds can get a big naming rights partner if they moved to the new stadium at Stanley Park.
The research into this area must be pretty extensive, and it says a lot about Fenway Sports Group business acumen that they are trying to cover all bases before they make a decision either way.
Of course, if the Reds can’t find a big naming partner to help fund the cost of building at Stanley Park then the only option will be to redevelop Anfield. Ian Ayre however has stated in recent months that talks with companies over possible naming rights were pretty positive, and I would expect that just like Arsenal who managed to get Emirates on side that Liverpool will surely find an equally, if not bigger sponsor for the stadium. Thinking about FSG’s business connections in the United States, you would have to assume that an American company would be a prime candidate.
At this stage of course, everything is conjecture until FSG decide to update the fans on progress but I am not one of those who would be opposed to having a sponsored stadium. If building a new stadium just makes more financial sense than redeveloping Anfield, I think it would be good financial sense too, to sell naming rights. It would be in the best interests of the club financially to ensure some of the cost of the build comes from other sources.
I have mentioned in other articles in the past about myself favouring a new stadium, and I won’t go into the reasons here. Suffice to say there are good arguments for and against, and I expect FSG, with their experience of both redevelopment and new builds, to come up with the right decision after all aspects of the issue, including naming rights, are considered thoroughly.
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I would like to repeat anfield our new stadium
what do you mean, Anfield is not big enough even when refurbished it will still cost as much knocking all the houses around it.
If you mean callin a new stadium Anfield then i must disagree theres only one Anfield and always will be, New Anfield sounds cheesy we need to move with the times if that means selling the naming rights then so be it. The sooner we have a new stadium the better we’ve been in limbo for far too long and can no longer carry on the same way……YNWA
The club needs to move on and build a new stadium. Until that happens I can’t see LFC progressing much further than top 4
Liverpool have been buying the houses in and around the ground over the last few years so the wheels are already in motion
IT HAS TO BE A NEW STADIUM!!!IT IS THE ONLY WAY FORWARD! The houses that have purchased were bought a long time ago,not recently? – and could be re-sold at a profit!which would help finance the ‘NEW STADIUM’. LFC are falling behind other clubs that have moved on and built anew!the fans of those clubs are no different to LFC fans!They loved their old grounds just the same as Liverpool fans!LFC supporters need to grow up to the fact that they are just the same as any other supporters!I HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING LFC SINCE 1952(59yrs)but i realize that it is time to’MOVE ON’,and look to the future for ‘CLUB and’FANS’.
I don’t want to move from the Anfield road; it’s so much related to our history. The turf has given us so much that, moving from there might zinx us for years to come. I would like to have a new stadium built at the same place, with bigger capacity.
With additional land acquiring from surrounding areas & through modern architecture, it ‘ll be possible to accommodate a 75,000+ stadium with adequate parking spaces & the project shouldn’t take more than 2 years.
If all the paper works are timed accordingly, we can start the demolition work just after our last home game in 2012 & in 15 months the basic structure can be completed by August 2013, to start the 2013/14 season (may be few stands couldn’t be opened by then & for 2013/14 we might have to start with 50/60% of capacity). Only for the 2012/13 season, we ‘ll have to run at a stadium sharing basis (I have no issues to play home matches at Guddison for a bigger interest).
Typical Ian Ayre comments. Blames H&G for not building a new stadium, which we’d already be in by now according to Ayre and the failure to do so set us back years according to Ayre .
Then he says its unprofessional to try and build a new stadium without the money to do so as H&G proposed and decided against.
Then he says the only way for our new owners to get a new stadium is if someone else pays for it. Any more genius ideas Ian? How would we cope without you?