Anfield has been home to Liverpool Football Club for over one hundred years. In that time, the club has achieved record success, 18 domestic titles and 5 European cups. Memorable European games at the stadium involved opposition such as St Etienne, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea. Lets not forget the number of enthralling matches at Anfield in the English Premier League and the old Division One that are too numerous to mention. Having attended numerous matches and been part of the match-day crowd that sang You’ll Never Walk Alone, I can safely say that the atmosphere at the ground is second to none. Even the gruesome twosome, Hicks and Gillett, tried to replicate the design of Anfield with a single tier Kop-like stand in their designs for their new stadium. John W Henry speaks with great fondness about the ground and it what with some degree of sadness that he lamented the ‘obstacles’ that stood in the way of redeveloping Anfield.
The simple fact is, however, that the ground as it stands right now is too small in terms of capacity. If the obstacles that Henry mentions are too onerous to overcome, I would happily say goodbye to Anfield for the simple reason that Liverpool Football Club needs a ground that can hold 60-70,000 fans for every premiership game. I would rather see Liverpool Football Club winning titles than staying in an antiquated ground for the sake of its past. To do so, particularly in the context of the new financial regulations that are about to be implemented, Liverpool Football Club needs to boost its coffers. More money means better quality signings, more success on the pitch and happier fans. A stadium holds the fans, who in turn create the atmosphere. If Liverpool Football Club has to leave Anfield for its long-term success in the future, I will gladly follow.
Agreed, as long as they stay in L4
With an official 70,000 on the season ticket waiting list, It’s clear we need to do something now. I want to stay but we need at least a 70,000 seat arena, allowing us to tidy up the area too. We have 2 applications approved, 1 for 60,000 and the other for 72,000 seater arena’s. The 2nd one means we have to expand the infrastructure outside to cope with traffic etc, we must trust KK and FSG to do the right thing, wait and see!!!!
I am so happy to ey that
As much as i don’t want to leave anfield due to the history she holds but still have to consider the new FFP which will soon be implemented, so the club needs more revenue that which anfield can’t bring because of the size and other facts. Moving to stanley park will help us get a stadium with at least 72000 seat, get a good naming right that will also contribute to the revenue. With all this facts that will increase the revenue to a good level. I think moving to stanley park it is. We fan and players made the history at anfield we can still repeat it and even more at the new stadium. Please my dear lfc family lets support this and build a new stadium. Thank. You’ll never walk alone.
Hummm i used to like this site decent reports…..good honest info….but now its full of trying to get a headline! ooooops silly me the writers ar looking to get a job….im blocking it now….to many stupid stories
Yah dats de rlty we hve 2 lve anfield so dat we cn cmpte wth de manures un if we stll hve our king i am sure he wil bld de success so dat evri 1 cn flow.
I urge we fans of lfc to please let’s move to stanly pack to make another club record like we did at anfiled, because we can still continue and start winning games than we did at anfiled. Though there were so many achievement at anfiled but we can do more better stanly pack. Never work alone
Great article. Ask Manc City or Arsenal if they would turn back the clock on their new homes…
I don’t buy into all this sentimental shite- this club is too good to be stuck in the past. We desperately need, and deserve, a state-of-the-art new home in order to start making the kind of history the scum have been making these past 20 years.
Please get the ball rolling asap John & Tom! Show us that at long last somebody CAN get a spade in the ground at Stanley Park!
72k
To pull in more crowd we need the capacity to hold at least 70,000 or more seats. Therefore LFC must move away from Anfield. Good decision from the owners.
I like Anfield: Anfield is pure history, legend, tradition.
Anfield is the football temple, but unfortunately We need to look at things with a bit of genuine realism.
Good point mate.
Tradition, memories and respect for the past are admirable things, but change is needed to return LFC to its most important tradition, the tradition of being the best. A higher capacity stadium is necessary to achieve that.
We have struggled since the 1990’s because we did not move with the times, did not modernise, stuck to the traditional ‘Liverpool Way’, when the true ‘Liverpool Way’ was to be at the cutting edge – the first team to have a sponsors name on their shirts – making the best of what our success brought thanks to the actions of messrs John Smith and Peter Robinson. Unfortunately, after they left, the ‘Liverpool Way’ was to never change, keep doing what you’re doing, ignoring the fact that the world was changing and we were slipping down. We should have been thinking of leaving Anfield in the 1990’s. Instead, we came up with a plan to re-develop Anfield which the City Council dropped like a stone when a few local residents complained (the residents who have since deserted the area in droves).
Now it is time to do what we should have done many years ago – build anew, take with us the true ‘Liverpool way’ – of being the first, the bravest, the innovators – along with the passion of our fans – and take us back where we belong. The top of the league.
My Lfc KOP blog:
“NEW ANFIELD”, [To John Henry]
Standard Charted “NEW ANFIELD” STADIUM: Deep in the heart of Anfield
This is from the heart, and goes out to every LFC fan and John Henry & Co.
The issue of ground capacity is THE most important one for our future progress, but also the most contentious. History, character & atmosphere are the key words that describe Anfield. It embodies a unique experience. So many GREAT memories!. Sentimentality?, yes certainly, unashamedly, justifiably so. But when you don the hat of solving the problem of increased ground capacity, and address ALL the issues and factors in the equation, it is clear that it is a major, major challenge.
As with a child I believe the time has unfortunately come to learn the hard facts of life & understand that you cannot have everything you crave. Those dreams that would exist in a perfect world just don’t in the real world. The dream would be to retain the unique atmosphere, tradition and memories of Anfield in a major upgrade of the present stadium.
The reality is that it is very nearly impossible to achieve, certainly to a capacity we should need to maintain future growth & progression. Instead, those who are in possession of all the facts, all the information, all the options available, and all the financial consequences of each move, have to be allowed now to make the decision that they see as the right one on all our behalves.????????
It really is a nightmare trying to work out how staying at Anfield can work. The Ground was surrounded (boxed in) with terraced housing, many of who’s residents didn’t want to move, or sell up, as is their right & is to be respected. That stopped development for many years & prevented us increasing capacity in line with the likes of United. When all the permutations of how to redevelop are taken into account, it becomes a case of running up one cul-de-sac after another. Financially also, it is cheaper to build anew. The park is not a million miles away, and if part of the old stadium could be turned into a living museum type situation, with a direct link made to the new stadium, a “new stadium” sponsor, and greater capacity than possible via re-development, better, more modern facilities, corporate boxes etc, then LFC could begin a new era of growth ,success & strength., not to mention increased revenue.
This is 2011 and a new environment from what was. If we don’t evolve in the correct way we will become a remnant of the past simply through finances and lack of forward thinking, & the taunts of our rivals will become reality. No one likes change, but if you don’t change, quite often you will be changed by events around you, & in the case of LFC we will be left high & dry & unable to compete with City, Chelsea etc.
What I HATE the thought of is the Hicks & Gillette plan being built. We CANNOT have their legacy in the frame for our future. The problem is that any new design will delay events beyond acceptable timescales. But non-the-less, if this is possible it is my personal preference. I’d rather a new design where much, much, thought involves building character into the structure, a new stadium capable of generating an atmosphere akin to Anfield, not a cold, soul-less place like so many others. There HAS TO BE A HEART.
If John Henry can come up ,somehow, with an alternative design to Hick & Gillette that embodies those characteristics stated above, plus a direct link to the old Anfield as a working, living part of the new, maybe in terms of a museum, tour site, trophy showroom, club shop / ticket office etc, and house refreshment units , shops, etc. so a generally good full day out could be enjoyed & generate revenue for the Club & the city council, while improving the general facilities in the area for the local inhabitants, then I feel we could ease the pain & heartache of moving to a new Stadium. I don’t like it anymore than the rest, but a reality check tells me that I don’t believe we have a realistic option any longer, sad to say.
On the positive side for the city, the club can add to the general benefit of the local community in terms of upgrading the area, surely a worthwhile gesture.
These measures:, 1. A re-naming that incorporates “ANFIELD”, such as: Standard Chartered “NEW ANFIELD“ Stadium’.
2. An alternative design from the Hicks & Gillette model, incorporating a heart, atmosphere & soul.
3. A living “old” Anfield, re-developed amenities, a working, functioning entity linked to the new stadium.
would ease the anguish, and open the door to a new dawn with exciting new opportunities & possibilities that would not be
present due to re-developing the existing Stadium.
We must not allow our history to kill our future.
William Evans, thanks for a very good post. H&G’s design for the new stadium seemed more artsy than functional. However, heart, atmosphere and soul come from the supporters more than the structure. Memories last long after the object is gone and history recorded is forever. I would hope that parts of old Anfield, such as the boot room, could be incorporated into the new structure. (I live in the US not far from a large stone house that a local museum moved from China. Moving the boot room should be small potatoes.)
I also fully agree with William Evans!and have been making similar posts for quite some time.A move to Stanley Park is a fantastic idea – a perfect setting for a ‘New Stadium’.it would be seen from many miles away!It is a site far different to the present one, because it is ‘uncluttered’,as opposed to the ground as it is now! A positive thought is the fact that one end /side of the new stadium would be touching onto Anfield Rd,so it is still in Anfield!The ‘Hillsboro memorial could still be on the Anfield Rd side of the ground just by being moved to the other side of the road! And yes it is still in L4 !
I lived in the area & went school in Priory Rd and started watching LFC in 1953(59yrs!’boys pen’etc),and have loved every minute of the old ground,but I realize that it is time to move on and look to the future.In 10-20years time our fanbase will have changed considerably,and I’m not sure if I will be around then,but it is my opinion that a move to a new stadium will only benefit all LFC’s fans in the future!!!
Like everything comes to and end, so must Anfield but it’s the fans and players that have made it so so great in the past…that, will still be there. So, if it’s for the best then, “Sayonara Anfield” with tears in my eyes. We’ll never forget!!
Imagine the athmosphere an extra twenty thousand LFC fans could generate in a new stadium plus the extra revenue..we can take the best traditions across the road from Anfield and make it bigger and better.It will be a place top players will want to come to..
One of the most alluring features of British Football is the architecture of these small beautiful old stadiums and the unrivaled atmosphere that resonate around them.
Try all they want to replicate Anfield they’ll never get it right. Just look at Arsenal, even when comparing it to the Library-Highbury, the atmosphere at The Emirates is so dull. I don’t care how beautiful Arsenals football is to watch, I just can’t sit through any of their home games. Oh, and have Arsenal even won the league since their move? No. So don’t give me that bullsh*t about how as long we stuck in a small capacity stadium we’ll continue to lag behind the Man U, City, Chelsea and Arsenal, and never win another title.
To hell with this so called progress and the modern game. I’m sure there are many fans who share these same sentiments. I say lets start a petition against a move away from Anfield.
Warren makes a good argument. However, with satellite (and internet) tv, sheiks/tycoons and the formation of the Premier League there’s been a money tsunami. The club with the most income (and some brains) has the best chance to win the cups and titles. The old days were admirable, but their like will not come again. Perhaps nothing is as we would want it to be, but we are stuck in the present.