Liverpool confident in Anfield’s future despite rival stadium upgrades | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Anfield Ambitions: Holding Ground in a Shifting Stadium Landscape

When it comes to Liverpool Football Club, change has always walked hand-in-hand with tradition. The famous Anfield sign, the roar of the Kop, and the red tide sweeping through Walton Breck Road on a matchday — these aren’t just rituals; they’re lifeblood. But in an era where football is increasingly defined by infrastructure, spectacle, and commercial might, even a cathedral like Anfield must evolve.

In a detailed piece by The Athletic, the future of Anfield was placed under the microscope — a thoughtful, data-rich exploration of where the stadium stands amidst the rising arms race of Premier League stadium development. With Everton’s gleaming new home on the horizon, and Manchester United laying out plans for a £2bn rebuild of Old Trafford, questions are surfacing: can Anfield continue to compete? And more importantly, should it?

Let’s unpack the story and what it means for Liverpool — on and off the pitch.

Modernised Anfield and FSG’s strategic transformation

Since Fenway Sports Group (FSG) assumed control in 2010, Anfield has undergone nothing short of a facelift. The redevelopment of the Main Stand and the Anfield Road End has added 15,000 seats, elevating the ground’s capacity to 61,000 — a figure that reaffirms its place as the largest stadium in the city.

More significantly, it’s not just about bums on seats. These expansions have brought with them wider walkways, improved concourses, and enhanced hospitality offerings. Crucially, they’ve brought in money — and plenty of it.

FSG’s approach has been characteristically pragmatic. Rather than razing tradition in pursuit of a futuristic concrete bowl on Stanley Park — as mooted under previous owners — they preserved the soul of Anfield while injecting it with fresh life.

This wasn’t just a sentimental decision. As The Athletic reports, the club’s £50m loss in 2012 included significant write-offs from the previously shelved new stadium project. FSG chose to invest over £210m in targeted redevelopments, and in doing so, avoided another costly white elephant.

The results are undeniable. From a matchday revenue standpoint, Liverpool now bring in £101m annually — fourth in the Premier League — with further growth expected following the full completion of the Anfield Road expansion.

Barriers to future expansion

The allure of more seats — and therefore more money — is obvious. But Liverpool are already facing the hard limits of geography and urban infrastructure.

In an interview with The Athletic, CEO Billy Hogan was unequivocal:“There are no plans for further expansion of the stadium,” he said last July.

Billy Hogan

It’s easy to see why. On one side sits the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, backed by a densely packed residential area. On the other, the Kop is hemmed in by Walton Breck Road, a major A-road that makes any upward or outward build logistically and politically fraught.

Hogan’s comments brought a degree of relief to local residents, particularly those on Skerries Road, who have long expressed concerns about gentrification and potential displacement. Liverpool’s expansion strategy, thus far, has avoided the type of large-scale community disruption seen in other cities, and that sensitivity will continue to guide their planning.

Simply put: further physical expansion of Anfield is, for now, off the table.

Stadium experience, concerts and commercial growth

Where expansion is off the table, diversification becomes the name of the game. Liverpool have made major strides in transforming Anfield from a matchday-only venue into a 365-day-a-year revenue-generating hub.

From abseiling experiences to guided tours and the club’s flagship retail store, Anfield has become a tourist destination in its own right. But the real commercial bump will come from events — specifically, concerts.

With the council capping Anfield to six non-football events per year, the club have already hosted Taylor Swift and Pink, and have Bruce Springsteen, Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey set to follow. That slate alone could be worth millions, and it’s all additional income that complements the core football operation.

However, there are challenges too. Anfield’s accessibility lags behind other major stadiums. Lime Street station is over two miles away, and Merseyside’s public transport infrastructure, while improved, doesn’t yet rival that of London or Manchester. The potential redevelopment of Everton’s new dockside ground into an “entertainment district” — an idea being explored by The Friedkin Group — could intensify the competition for event hosting.

Still, Liverpool’s edge is in its name, its aura, and its brand. As Brand Finance’s Hugo Hensley told The Athletic:“That Anfield is ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal, who have reasonably new stadiums, and Tottenham, who’ve got their billion-dollar stadium, shows that it still has amazing respect and reputation.”

Matchday revenue and ticket strategy

Revenue remains a balancing act between growth and access. In the 2023-24 season, Liverpool’s commercial revenue hit £308m — a record. Matchday revenue hit £101m, and is projected to rise with the Champions League’s return and a full campaign of home fixtures.

But ticket pricing remains a sensitive issue. Liverpool have frozen season ticket prices in eight of the last 10 seasons. General admission remains between £39 and £61, with £9 local-resident tickets continuing to be a small but symbolic gesture of community engagement.

Yet demand far outstrips supply. Just 27,000 season-ticket holders serve a fanbase of millions, and with over 250,000 members and 30,000-plus names on the waiting list, acquiring a ticket remains an uphill battle for many supporters.

It’s a paradox that all top clubs face: grow the stadium, and lose intimacy; freeze the capacity, and alienate your fanbase. At present, Liverpool appear to be holding the line — but the long-term pressures of competition, inflation and commercial expectations may test that stance.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

Let’s be honest — no Liverpool supporter wants to imagine Anfield being left behind in football’s stadium arms race. But reading The Athletic’s excellent deep-dive, there’s reassurance to be found in how the club are treading the line between evolution and tradition.

For most fans, it’s not about having the biggest stadium. It’s about having the best experience. The Main Stand and Anfield Road upgrades have made a tangible difference to matchdays, without compromising the heart of what makes Anfield special. That matters.

Sure, it’s frustrating not to see further expansion plans, particularly with demand so high. But given the constraints around the Kop and Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, it’s hard to argue with the logic. The club can’t exactly knock down half of Walton Breck Road.

Where we should all be excited is in the off-pitch growth — concerts, events, global reach. That revenue helps keep us competitive. But crucially, it’s done without pricing out the locals or bulldozing the community.

As long as Anfield stays loud, iconic, and full of character, we’ll be fine. The stadium might not grow in size anytime soon, but its significance is still unmatched.