The prospect of the second phase of the Anfield stadium expansion going ahead looks unlikely after the latest comments from Fenway Sports Group principal owner John W Henry.
Speaking to the Associated Press (via the Liverpool Echo) at an event at Yankee stadium in New York, Henry was asked whether the proposed redevelopment of the Anfield Road End would go ahead, Henry replied:
“I don’t know if there is a next step because ticket prices are an issue in England. That may foreclose further expansion. We’ll have to see.”
The redevelopment of the Anfield Road End would have seen an extra 4,500 seats added to the stadium’s capacity increasing from 54,000 to 58,500 but unlike in the main stand where the Reds can recoup their development costs from corporate hospitality packages, the Anfield Road End would be just seating.
No doubt it would take longer for the new stand to pay for itself, and while the main stand could be paid for in the space of five to six years, there is no certainty that the same would be the case with the Anfield Road End leading to questions about whether it is economically viable.
