Henry is right to question the sense of just 15K extra seats
In a revealing interview with the Daily Telegraph at the weekend, John W Henry talked about how the stadium issue was progressing:
“We would love to expand Anfield, but there are enough local and regulatory issues to keep that avenue stalled for years with no assurances that once begun it would bear any fruit. If Anfield cannot be expanded, a new stadium is wonderful choice. But the fact is we already have 45,000 seats. If a new stadium is constructed with 60,000 seats you’ve spent an incredible sum of money to add just 15,000 seats. If the cost is £300m for an extra 15,000 seats, that doesn’t make any sense at all. Liverpool isn’t London, you can’t charge £1 million for a long-term club seat. And concession revenues per seat aren’t that much different at Emirates from Anfield. That’s why the search is on currently for a naming-rights partner. And that could very well happen.”
The most obvious fact to be taken from this interview is that redeveloping Anfield looks dead in the water. The years of delay that Henry is talking about on this front is not realistic for FSG and Henry mentions in the same interview that one of the biggest aims for FSG at Liverpool is to “need to build our revenues” in light of the UEFA Financial Fair Play which comes into effect next summer. One of the biggest ways to build revenues of course, is to improve the stadium, meaning this will need to be done as quickly as possible, necessitating a move to Stanley Park.
It looks as if Henry and FSG have followed through this thought process and are now actively seeking naming rights for a new stadium. So if this decision as to where Liverpool play has seemingly been decided upon, the next question for FSG is what to build.
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Newcastle News 24/7
August 30th, 2011
I think 75000 most is ideal for lfc. Its expensive running a huge stadium,so 30000 more seats should be ideal. In henry we trust! YNWA
August 30th, 2011
we cant fill a ground thats only 45 thousand now!
so how can we fill a 70,80 plus ground?
man utd fill every week as the demand is there, it is a big ask for a club struggeling on the pitch to bank on fans coming in such high numbers.
Its no use grumbeling we are not sucsescful right now, even when we finished 2nd with rafa and won the cl in 05 we still couldnt fill anfield every game!
thats a cold fact
and Im lfc born and bred
September 4th, 2011
Approximately?-45,000 is the present capacity! That is never reached because some people would need eyes that can see through ‘iron girders and posts’. According to local knowledge LFC have over 60,000 names on the season ticket waiting list.Therefore they would not have a problem filling a much larger stadium!
August 31st, 2011
if the new owners don’t end up building the new stadium, they will just be the same as the yanks they took over from & will just be looking to make a quick £ without investing into anything substantial & of any real long term value into our club!! Is it just me who realises that a new stadium is more than just 15000 added sits !! Its about the community benefitting from new & developed infrastructure, new jobs & a whole lot of other stuff the community can benefit from in turn LFC benefitting as a result!!
August 31st, 2011
I agree with above, it’s not just about the number of seats. Yes we want to keep the heritage and history and memories of anfield. But it’s impossible to expand there.
A new stadium would mean so much more than seats too, the surrounding area could use an ecconimical boost. And tbh Alot of the other features of anfield could do with modernising. The club shop..isn’t worthy (not talking about it’s content) , the restrooms, the food..whilst good you can’t even pay with a card. It could all use a major updating, arguably the scoreboard too.
I say a 75k stadium would be ideal . Nice big incease. We can ensure further exspansion is possible. I think that way if the stadium wasn’t full it would be there abouts most of the time, and Europe defiantly . I like the cheaper prices idea too tho, I must admit a huge stadium 90k plus, fill cos every that wanted To go could afford to go would be such a great message to the world . However I think 75 k is about right , don’t forget more people in the ground is more merch/food/programs bought and increases
Sponsorship value.
I trust henry to do the right thing