Liverpool owner John Henry has indicated that should fans oppose the idea of a groundshare at a new stadium with local rivals Everton, then the idea is a “non-starter”.
The new owner, who heads Boston based consortium NESV, spoke to fans on the club’s official television channel on Monday afternoon and the issue of a new stadium arose.
Henry admitted that there are several options, including, as well as the groundshare idea, a brand new stadium for Liverpool FC alone and also redeveloping the current Anfield stadium.
On the groundshare issue he said, “If the fans don’t want it, it’s difficult for the club to do anything about it.
“Obviously it’s the fans who come, so it might make the most sense, if you’re building a new stadium, but if the fans don’t want it it’s a non-starter.”
He added, “I already love Anfield. The moment I saw the pitch I fell in love.
“There’s not just a history but there’s an ambience here that is extraordinary, so it would be a shame and I do think it’s an asset of the club for the long term to be at Anfield, but we have to do what’s in the best long term interests of the club and we will do that.
“We are studying things…but we do appreciate what we have at Anfield.”
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner agreed with Henry’s sentiments, and confirmed NESV are looking towards ways of increasing the club’s revenue through increased stadium capacity, in order to buy a stronger squad.
He said, “We agree that Anfield is a cathedra. One of the similarities we found when we came in is the similarity with Fenway Park [Boston Red Sox’s ground], which is over almost 100 years old, and Anfield is a special place to watch a match.
“We certainly need to do something. As John said, our intention is to increase our revenue, so we can put the best possible squad together, so we’re hard at it.
“We’ve had a lot of meetings and we are moving forward with various options, it’s too early to go in one direction or not in terms of whether to build a new stadium or to refurbish Anfield but we know we need to do something and I can just say as a fan that the excitement that we feel at Anfield is so palpable.
“The intensity, the spirit – it’s one of the great sporting experiences that we’ve ever had.”
