Instead, the ownership opted to redevelop and expand Anfield. However, insufficient funding delayed the plans, which were finally discarded in 2012 by the new owners of the club. In the late 2000s, Liverpool contemplated moving away from Anfield to a larger and more modern stadium, and even obtained planning permission for a new 60,000-seater stadium at nearby Stanley Park. In the 1980s, a start was made to convert the stadium into an all-seater, and in 1982 the famous Shankly Gates were erected. The last significant changes to the stadium were made in the 1990s, first with the rebuilding of the two-tiered Centenary Stand, then with the conversion of the Kop into an all-seater stand, and finally in 1998 with the construction of a second tier on the Anfield Road Stand.Īnfield was one of the playing venues of the Euro 1996 tournament, during which it hosted three group matches and the quarter-final between France and the Netherlands (0-0). Once completed, it could hold about 30,000 fans.Īnfield set its record attendances in 1958 when 61,905 people attended a match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Further improvements were made between 19, when the old Main Stand got demolished and replaced with a new one.Īnfield did not host any matches during the 1966 World Cup, which were instead played at neighbouring Goodison Park. The ground remained more or less the same for the next two decades until the Kop got expanded in 1928. Their first match at Anfield was a 7-1 win over Rotherham.Īnfield underwent several developments in the late 19th and early 20th century, among which in 1895 the construction of a new main stand designed by Archibal Leitch and a decade later the construction of the famous Spion Kop. In 1891, Everton moved out of Anfield after a dispute over the rent, and one year later newly-founded Liverpool moved in. The first game at the ground, on the 28th of September 1884, saw Everton beat Earlstown 5-0. I just hope that this wretched example of Liverpool’s ‘managed decline’, pursued under successive governments, doesn’t spread to the tight network of streets in Walton on the other side of Stanley Park.Club: Liverpool FC | Opening: 1884 | Capacity: 54,074 seats History and descriptionĪnfield was built in 1884, but got initially rented by Everton FC. Demolition and suburbanisation are still the order of the day, as a leftover from discredited ‘Housing Market Renewal Initiative’. ‘A more serious problem is the immediate urban context. However they’re not designed to impress me anyway. ‘As for the architectural quality of the Reds stadium depicted in today’s images, I’m underwhelmed. The subsequent ‘Football Quarter’ model, in which both clubs expand their respective stadia whilst developing a joint transport, tourist and ‘fan-zone’ infrastructure around Stanley Park, had been jointly promoted by supporters’ groups Spirit of Shankly and KEIOC (Keeping Everton In Our City).
![lfc new stadium design lfc new stadium design](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/img/others/newstadiumoutside.jpg)
It would have diluted one of the club’s unique selling points, as well as going against clearly-expressed supporter preferences. ‘An earlier option, explored as one of several lines of enquiry by myself and others, to look at a shared stadium proved to be unworkable for business reasons. Trevor Skempton, Liverpool-based architect: ‘Liverpool have, in my opinion, made the correct strategic decision in going for a phased expansion of their existing stadium. Paul Monaghan, partner AHMM Architects: ‘If we win the league after 25 years I don’t really care what it looks like.’ ‘I think it’s going to be very well received by the club’s supporters.’ The giant pitchside cantilevers have a hint of the dockland gantry cranes that will soon appear in the new Panamax port now under construction.
![lfc new stadium design lfc new stadium design](http://stadiumdb.com/pic-projects/stanley_park_2000/stanley_park_200010.jpg)
‘KSS have come up with a muscular, imposing new main stand which references Liverpool’s red brick vernacular. ‘At least managaing director Ian Ayre showed the good grace to apologise to the people of Anfield in 2012, and with this announcement it feels like the club, city and community can really begin to rebuild. The club lost a decade of physical development, and the last council leader had to admit he’d left the area as a war zone while demolition continued.
![lfc new stadium design lfc new stadium design](http://stadiumdb.com/pic-projects/city_of_liverpool_stadium/city_of_liverpool_stadium04.jpg)
‘It was a grand vision but turned out to be too expensive and disruptive to deliver.
![lfc new stadium design lfc new stadium design](https://d3sux4fmh2nu8u.cloudfront.net/Pictures/480x320fitpad[0]//6/5/1/1607651_LiverpoolFC_lead.jpg)
‘That approach was torn up when the council offered the club 40 per cent of Stanley Park for a new stadium, and then used John Prescott’s Pathfinder money to buy up and empty out thousands of homes round Anfield, for a mix of new houses and commercial development. It also kept the worst impacts on neighbouring houses within a limited radius. Jonathan Brown, director of Liverpool based planning consultancy : ‘Expanding each stand incrementally always served the club well over a century of success - most recently the Centenary Stand was built over the old Kemlyn Road in 1992, the Kop was renewed in 1994 and an extra tier added to Anfield Road in 1998.