What Liverpool owners FSG have said about the ANfield development – Liverpool FC

Anfield has undergone an incredible transformation under owners Fenway Sports Group, but with demand always outstripping supply, is there any chance of further development?

When FSG took over the club in 2010, Anfield’s capacity was 45,362 and plans to move were discussed before continuing to stay at Anfield.

The Main Stand was the first to undergo a major redevelopment, adding 9,000 seats in 2016, before the Anfield Road Stand underwent an incredible transformation to take the capacity to 61,000.

It has made Liverpool’s spiritual home unrecognizable from the one FSG inherited, but are there further development possibilities at the ground in the future?

Focus inward rather than outward

Expanding Anfield further is problematic, to say the least. The Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand and the Kop run parallel to housing and the main road and shops respectively, leaving no room for building.

It would have a significant impact on the existing community around the stadium if they even considered making significant changes, which is unlikely, to say the least.

Instead, the focus is likely to shift to other parts of the existing stadium, as previously mentioned by an FSG boss.

“We will see what ancillary development would be possible,” FSG chief executive Sam Kennedy told a 2022 conference.

“As residential as Fenway is, Fenway is zoned for entertainment, hospitality, retail and other types of activities. Anfield is a residential area so we have to be mindful of that and respect that.

“You’ll probably see us focusing more internally than externally in the future.”

The Kop Bar in the Kop is one such example, replacing the old club shop, as well as plans for an “underground fan area” in the new Anfield Road stand.

More hospitality lounges, improved lobbies, and new public pedestrian and bicycle paths also include this type of localized development.

The development could lead to a reduction in capacity

If another stand were to undergo development, it would probably be the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, which is the oldest in the ground, has the least legroom and the fewest supporter facilities.

It is not in the works, but a report in 2023 claimed that “FSG will look to upgrade the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, which currently has a capacity of 12,000.

“If they do – and no final decision has been made – then reconfiguring the lower level areas to give fans more space would result in a decrease in capacity.”

The report was from Alex Miller in Mail on Sundaya reporter who has been well informed on stadium matters throughout FSG’s tenure.

This would not give supporters the increase in seating they would be looking for, but it would update a stand that is over 30 years old with modern facilities and wider internal concourses.

It would be fantastic to hope for a refurbishment like the Main Stand or the Anfield Road End but it’s just not possible as there are fully occupied houses just behind the Skerries Road Stand.

Council plans

Space is limited in the immediate vicinity of the land, as we have observed, which does not allow FSG to pursue extensive development on the existing land.

It’s something they’ve previously pursued with the Boston Red Sox and their famous home, Fenway Park.

However, Liverpool Council is pressing ahead with further regeneration of the surrounding area, including plans for a £4m scheme to upgrade the main road leading to the stadium.

The focus is on “creating a greener and safer experience for residents and visitors”, with “a more visually appealing and healthy public street scene” as a priority.

Anfield Square, the land opposite the club’s shop on Walton Breck Road (pictured above), will not be a hotel and the council is looking for a “new development that has roots and a focus on community inclusion” – updates are expected in this summer.

Although Anfield may not undergo significant changes, as seen with the Main Stand and Anfield Road End, there is still plenty of development possible within and in the surrounding areas.