Anfield Road Closed In Anticipation Of £60m Stadium Expansion Construction

Liverpool FC and Fenway Sports Group look like they are about to embark on the second stadium expansion under the ownership group. The plan to expand the Anfield Road end of the stadium has been in the works for years, and was planned to start last year. Unfortunately, the covid-19 pandemic put a wrinkle in those plans, halting the process for a year.

Now, however, it seems like plan to add 7,000 seats is likely to get the final go ahead needed. The planned expansion will go in front of the Liverpool City Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, June 15 according to the Independent. The plan includes the additional seats to the stadium, bringing the total capacity up to 61,000. Anfield Road will be rerouted to accommodate the larger footprint of the stadium as the new seats will be built behind the existing stand so game day operations are not affected during construction. The expansion is expected to be completed in 2023.

The Independent also quotes a planning committee report, which states the request to use Anfield for additional events during times when Liverpool do not have home games.

“The proposal seeks permanent permission for the use of the stadium for other team sports throughout the year. This would allow for other sporting events, such as Gaelic Games or American football, to take place, typically during breaks in the football calendar. The club has advised that this would be estimated to be only around two to three times per year.”

This is Anfield reported that Anfield Road has already been closed in anticipation of the plan being approved. While not quite as exciting as spending big money on a new signing, the £60 million investment in the stadium expansion should put Liverpool near the top of game day earners in the Premier League. John Henry and FSG have made plenty of gaffs for their treatment, or blatant disregard, of fans during their tenure, but they should also be commended for expanding and modernizing Liverpool’s iconic ground rather than building a soulless cavern like the new London Stadium or even the “new” Wembley.