Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium Expansion Delayed Until October
Liverpool fans will have to wait a little longer to experience the full capacity of Anfield Stadium. The £80 million project to expand the Anfield Road Stand, taking the overall capacity to around 61,000, will now have a phased opening which the club expect to be fully completed in October.
The Anfield Road lower stand, which remains largely unchanged, will be open for the opening home games, but the new upper tier will not. This Is Anfield understands that the capacity for the opening game against Bournemouth will be around 51,000.
Delay Due to Complex Construction Project
Liverpool insist that they are in the hands of the contractor, The Buckingham Group, who is responsible for meeting Liverpool City Council’s licensing requirements. Buckingham have confirmed to the club that although the existing stand will be open and operational for the Reds’ first home game of the season, the new upper tier will remain closed for the time being.
The club anticipate that the additional capacity will be incrementally phased in during the course of future home fixtures. Following the Bournemouth game, Buckingham plan to increase the capacity, using the upper tier as part of the phased opening process which they expect to be completed in October 2023.
“This has been a hugely ambitious and complex construction project right from the start,” explains Liverpool’s managing director, Andy Hughes. “Unfortunately, the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand is not quite ready for the Bournemouth game. The main contractor, Buckingham, will therefore work with Liverpool City Council’s licensing team to deliver a phased opening process.”
Tickets
Liverpool have announced that tickets for the fixture against Bournemouth will be available to members with 13+ credits only. There will not be a members’ ballot for this game. The members’ sales will commence on August 8, with further details on other sales for Bournemouth and all the home fixtures before Christmas to follow next week.
Anfield Expansion Will Be Complete in October
The expectation is that the stand will be completely finished in October, in time for the Merseyside derby on October 21. While fans will naturally be disappointed by the news, and perhaps Jurgen Klopp himself after his words last week, the reality is that this was an ambitious project from the club and has been undertaken with no decrease in capacity last season.
The £80 million project will take Anfield’s capacity to 61,000 and this short delay will mean very little in the long run!
Conclusion
Liverpool Football Club’s expansion of Anfield Stadium is an ambitious project that will take its capacity to 61,000. Unfortunately, due to complex construction requirements, the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand will not be open for the Reds’ first home game of the season against Bournemouth. However, Liverpool anticipate that the additional capacity will be incrementally phased in during the course of future home fixtures and expect it to be fully completed in October.