Liverpool will expand Anfield capacity to more than 61,000 after confirming £60m plans to add 7,000 seats
LIVERPOOL will expand Anfield by a further 7,000 seats to take the capacity beyond 61,000.
The Merseyside club confirmed plans for the £60million renovation which will transform the Anfield Road Stand.
A refurbished lower tier will be updated while a brand-new upper tier will be added on top.
They received approval from Liverpool City Council in June and work on the redevelopment will begin next week.
The Reds hope to have it all done in time for the start of the 2023-24 season.
Upon completion, Anfield will become the third-largest Premier League ground behind Old Trafford (74,140) and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,303).
It is currently sixth in the rankings at 53,394, behind the Emirates (60,704), the London Stadium (60,000) and the Etihad (55,017).
Andy Hughes, managing director of Liverpool, said: “We have been clear from the beginning that in order for this expansion to go ahead we needed the co-operation of local residents and the community, to successfully navigate the complex planning landscape, and to ensure the project is financially viable.
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“We needed certainty for this project to progress and are now in a position to be able to move forward.
“We began this journey in 2014 and are grateful to everyone for the contributions they have made to bring the project to this stage.”
The new plans come just five years after the Main Stand was increased by 8,500 seats with the new three-tier stand expansion costing £110m.
And just like the other side of the stadium, Liverpool insist they took ‘careful consideration’ not to damage Anfield’s ‘world-class atmosphere’ and ensure the new stand will match the Main Stand acoustically.
Around 400 matchday jobs will be created as a result of the Anfield Road Stand changes.
In addition, the club earned permission to stage up to six concerts and major events at the stadium for five seasons.
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Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd are the principal contractor on the project, with the company aiming to support the local community through employment and apprenticeships.
There were some fears about the impact the expansion would have on the nearby area – particularly Stanley Park.
But Liverpool will plant 70 trees to replace the 27 that need removing from the park to enable the work to go ahead.