Liverpool’s expansion of Anfield stadium will not be complete in time for the Reds’ opening home game of the season later next month.
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.
Liverpool insist that they 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.
That means, the capacity for the Reds’ following home games – against Aston Villa (September 3) and West Ham (September 24) – should see an increased capacity.
“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.
“As with any complex major construction project of this scale, there are always so many variables and challenges along the way.
- Anfield Road upper tier will NOT be open for opening games
- Expected 51,000 capacity for opening fixture
- Fully complete in October
“We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding while we work through the next few weeks with Buckingham to complete this programme and we can’t wait to have this great new Anfield Road stand fully open for supporters.”
The expectation is that the stand will be completely finished in October, in time for the Merseyside derby on October 21.
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.
The reality
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!
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