JUNE 5
New stadium delayed a year?

By Matt Ladson - This is Anfield

Plans for Liverpool’s new stadium look to have been moved back a year, rather than a few weeks as was first thought when new owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett took over and announced a review of the current plans.

In an interview with lfc.tv following the signing of his new contract, Jamie Carragher said - in response to the question “The contract takes you through to 2011 and, hopefully, Liverpool will be playing in a new stadium by then…”

Carragher: “That would be nice, yeah. I think it’s been put back a year and hopefully the new plans will make it even better. I’m a bit older than Stevie so my aim is to still be in the team by the time we get to the new stadium. I think it’s going to be brilliant for everyone - the players, the club and the supporters. My aim, as I said, is to still be a regular for Liverpool by the time we get to a new stadium.”

Work was initially scheduled to begin in March, and indeed work began on testing of soil, but in late March it was announced a review of the 60,00 seater stadium plans would take place and that work would commence in May. Of course, it is now June and no word on construction has been officially announced.

Other reports though suggested work would begin in July this year, and be finished by summer 2009.

If the new stadium has indeed been pushed back another year, it will surely be 2010 at the very earliest when it opens.

Co-owner Tom Hicks has today said the new plans are to be presented on June 18th and that ”The Kop will be the symphony stage that plays to the rest of the symphony hall”

APRIL 2
Reds to begin stadium work in May

BBC Sport Online

Liverpool will start the development of their new stadium in Stanley Park in May after plans were agreed at a meeting held over the weekend.

New owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, along with chief executive Rick Parry, met key figures from Liverpool City Council, who approved the plan.

But the news ends any possibility of a new joint stadium with Everton.

It is hoped that once tenders have gone out, the actual construction will start in July and finish by the end of 2010.

Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley and director of regeneration John Kelly attended the meeting with the representatives from the Anfield club.

"Work on the final legal agreements between the city council and club is almost complete, which will allow work on the new stadium to start next month under the existing planning permission granted last year," said a statement.

Chief executive Parry said the news was exciting for the club and the city of Liverpool.

"Our new owners have taken the sensible decision to review the plans to enable us to create an even better stadium that will serve the needs of the club and the fans for the next 50 years," said Parry.

"Already, some very exciting ideas are emerging and we are working closely with the city council on the best way forward."

A review of the initially proposed 60,000 capacity will be conducted this month - and take place in consultation with fans.

"A joint venture company will be set up by the end of this month to deliver the comprehensive regeneration of Stanley Park and the new community partnership centre," added the statement.

"Tenders for the refurbishment of Stanley Park will go out in April with a contractor to be appointed and work starting by the end of July, with the work completed by the end of 2008.

"A review of the 60,000 capacity of the new stadium is being carried out by the club and consultations with fans are already under way."

Whilst the park is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008, the target date for the new stadium is 2010.

It was felt that the possibility of sharing with Everton raised too many potential problems.

"The proposal had too many unknowns and would have created significant delays which could have put the entire new Anfield and Stanley Park project at risk."

Bradley added that the development would have wide-reaching implications.

"The benefits will reach out much further than football," said the council leader.

"Our agreement will secure the massive regeneration of the Anfield area and the transformation of Stanley Park.

"Today will go down as a significant date in the history of the club and the city."

APRIL 1
Gillett wants 'expandable' news stadium

Ireland On-Line

Liverpool co-owner George Gillett wants room to expand when the Reds go ahead with their plans to build a new stadium.

Gillett and fellow co-owner Tom Hicks completed their takeover of the club this week and were at Anfield yesterday as Liverpool beat Arsenal 4-1 to climb to third in the Barclays Premiership.

Former chairman David Moores and the board had gained planning permission to build a new stadium in nearby Stanley Park, but Gillett and Hicks are looking at ways the stadium can be improved within the accepted proposal – most crucially that there is an option to increase capacity should they want to in the future.

Gillett said: “To be competitive we must be patient because any decision we make today will have to last for 50 or more years.

“And so with this in mind we want to be very cautious. What I am asking for is that everyone shows patience and gives us a little time. We have to be very mindful and respectful of the planning process.

“There is a plan in place for which approval has already been granted and we have to operate to the extent we can within that process and approval. Decisions about modifications will be taken very carefully. What we want to do is build a stadium that will comply with the seating capacity approval but be expandable. As the fans demand more seats we want to be able to give them to them.”

The original proposal was for a 60,000-seater stadium, but Gillett clearly has in mind a desire to eventually have a ground rivalling Old Trafford in size.

MARCH 23
The crucial countdown

In part two of his series assessing the challenges facing new owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, Liverpool FC correspondent CHRIS BASCOMBE explains why the American ownership may be defined by
the success of their first major project: Building the new Anfield

By Chris Bascombe - Liverpool Echo

April 2, 2007, was pencilled in as a momentous day for Liverpool Football Club.

Builders Laing O'Rourke were scheduled to begin work on the new stadium on Stanley Park. Not now.

Publicly, Liverpool insist there's nothing worrying about the postponement, although not all the club's employees would agree.

Most notably, members of those departments who've spent recent years based in what's still affectionately known as 'Tina's Guest House' on Anfield Road.

On their final day of relocation to different parts of the city, news of the possible delay filtered through. The triumphant return to Stanley Park scheduled for 2009 now depends on the outcome of a review.

Liverpool finds itself in an unsatisfactory limbo period where various offices of the club are to be found in a selection of city locations.

The Public Relations department, led by former player Brian Hall, is now based on the Dock Road.

The Community Development Office will spend the next few years in Garston. The club website finds itself in Bootle. Meanwhile, the Vernon Sangster Leisure Centre stands abandoned having passed into the club's hands on the day the hold-up was announced.

The stoppage is said to be temporary, but it's now up to George Gillett and Tom Hicks when the first spade goes into the Stanley Park turf.

Gillett and Hicks wanted the 61,000 capacity increased, either now or further down the line once the arena is built.

The review's findings will be revealed by the end of the month, and despite the feverish excitement following revelations they'd eventually like a 76,000 seater stadium, the choice is blunt. Key meetings involving the American's consultants and planners spelt out the reality earlier this week.

Liverpool can push on with the existing plan, with minor rather than fundamental alterations, or the process which has lasted six years to get to this point must start again.

The existing plans have been re-examined by Dallas firm HKS, having been originally put together by Atherden Fuller Leng. Legally, HKS can only make tweaks if the existing plan is to progress. Re-designing the stadium would have monumental consequences.

It's natural the owners wish to review their purchase, particularly as they say the current architects' plan is six years old. The successful construction of the new stadium must be their flagship policy. Unfortunately, there is a gulf between their dreams and reality.

Under the existing design, there is no scope for extension. It would, literally, be back to square one. All the political, planning and diplomatic battles Liverpool won to get to this point would have to be re-fought.

It could take a minimum of two years to win approval for a new scheme, and even then, with the implications to the infrastructure, particularly as Stanley Park is a Grade 2, Victorian site, they may not get the go-ahead. Then they would have to look elsewhere.

A delay would also be very expensive. The current cost is £180m. One estimate suggests even a two year wait could see this rise another £140m, while the loss of matchday revenue would be equally damaging.

Liverpool supporters, meanwhile, are now being asked what they want from a new stadium.

Despite their religious devotion to Shanklyesque socialist principles, they're an essentially conservative bunch.

They've settled into a matchday routine they wish to preserve, and the onset of modern ways has even provoked a hearty few to form their own association - Reclaim The Kop - which will shadow the stadium development, diligently ensuring there's no compromise on their ideals.

If it's possible to recreate an exact replica of the current Anfield, only a bit bigger, that will be fine. Oh, and a bit more leg room wouldn't go a miss.

A unique Kop End must be saved, the atmosphere protected, ticket prices kept at affordable levels and ticket purchases easier to complete.

Those studying the fans' survey, sent out at Gillett and Hicks' request earlier this week, will quickly discover other issues are important, but peripheral.

And while the rhetoric about hearing the fans' views plays well to gallery, it's the profits from getting as many bums on seats which is clearly pre-occupying the new co-chairmen.

Liverpool desperately needs a new stadium as soon as possible, or the owners' hopes of achieving a profit on their investment is doomed.

The 2006 Deloitte Financial Report into club revenues underlined precisely why it's integral to Liverpool's survival at the top, and why Rick Parry was prepared to think the unthinkable in 2001 and suggest leaving the current Anfield.

Last year, Liverpool made 32.7 million pounds, or 27 percent of its earnings, from match-day sales, including tickets.

The comparison with Manchester United is depressing.

Their match-day income was nearly double, settling on £71.3million, or 43% of their earnings.

This is by far United's most lucrative revenue stream. For all the arguments regarding the marketing and commercial strengths of each club, this explains why United can regularly bid £30m on a player and Liverpool cannot.

It's not only United leaving the Reds behind financially.

Thanks to their move to The Emirates Stadium, Arsenal expect income to increase by as much as £35million in 2007.

If Liverpool could claim this kind of revenue, it would not only help Rafa Benitez improve the squad, it would also assist in the repaying the cost of the £180m scheme.

Much was made of recent revelations Gillett and Hicks have taken out a £500m loan to buy the club, absorb existing debt, finance the stadium and provide working capital. They have borrowed £298m from the Royal Bank of Scotland to purchase the club, and a further £200m to pay for the stadium.

They've also set up two companies based in Britain but owned by Kop Football (Caymen) Ltd in the tax haven of the Caymen Islands and Kop Investment LLC in Delaware, also noted for low taxes.

In stark, significant contrast to Manchester United, they're not saddling Liverpool with any new debts, although the £21m a year interest will be paid out of club accounts.

It should be stressed there's nothing new, strange or concerning about their approach since their vast wealth can guarantee repayment. The comparison with Arsenal's stadium financing is highly favourable to Liverpool.

Arsenal paid for their stadium with a £260m loan from a group of six banks.

The debt was moderately counter-balanced when they agreed £100m stadium sponsorship with Emirates Airlines.

But the Arsenal strategy is far riskier than Liverpool's because they've put their huge debt upon the club, and will need regular Champions League qualification to manage it.

If standards on the pitch deteriorate and the Gunners don't continue to fill their arena or play in Europe's elite competition, they'll face a financial crisis.

However, much of the work in North London has been a useful blueprint for the Reds, not least naming rights.

We don't yet know what the new stadium will be called, although it's inconceivable any Liverpool fan will refer to it as anything other than Anfield, regardless of the protocol of having an advertiser's name carried along for the ride and the cash.

If it's built, Liverpool will have a self-sustaining revenue stream. The more money they make from stadium attendance, the more money will be available to the manager, the more quality there will be on the pitch, and the more fans will continue to pack the stadium.

It's the luscious circle at the heart of Liverpool remaining a member of the European elite for the next century.

Without question, it's the single most important issue since the club was founded. Gillett and Hicks are wise to ponder the repercussions of every decision taken up to this point, but with deadlines looming, fans eager for answers and club departments scattered across the city, time is not on their side.

MARCH 23
Hicks' vow on ticket prices

By Jamie Gardner - Liverpool Echo

Liverpool's new co-owner Tom Hicks has promised he will not price supporters out of the club's planned new stadium, and believes the increased capacity will enable the Reds to offer a "broader menu" of
ticket prices.

Hicks' family and that of co-owner George Gillett plan to hold talks with Reds boss Rafael Benitez after the club's next match against Arsenal and have promised to help make them a "dominant" force in the domestic game again.

Increased revenue from the new ground would contribute to the Reds' spending power in the transfer market but Hicks insists supporters will not be priced out at the turnstiles.

"As you get into the technology of building a stadium, one of the things you do is have a broader menu of pricing," Hicks said. "You have cheaper seats for people that would be attracted to that and so there's a way that they can afford to go.

"And you have special seats and special amenities for people who are able to pay for that. But there won't be a bad seat in the house."

The new owners have ordered a review of any improvements that could possibly be made to the planned stadium before work gets under way.

"We want to maintain the essential approval but we would like to find ways to improvewhat has been planned, because it was planned mostly seven years ago and a lot has changed in that seven years," Hicks added.

"We go through that process to make things better for the fans. There will be some tweaks but I can't really talk about them.

"Our goal is to make Liverpool's the finest football stadium of all."

Hicks clearly sees Liverpool as a solid investment, with the new stadium, lucrative new television contract and the popularity of the Premier League in Asia all indicative of a bright future, and he sees Benitezas key to that progress.

"Our job as owners is to create the right balance of generating as much revenue as the fans want to pay, the sponsors want to pay, the media companies want to pay and giving as much of it to the players as you have to to have a business that can go forward as a business," he said.

"The key is to have a smart manager like Rafa who will take a long-term view of how we can get better. I know enough from talking to him now that he wants to build for the long term.

"I'm not saying we won't spend for transfers, that may be what we do. But it's got to be in the context of a plan that makes Liverpool competitive every year for a long time.

"We have budgeted a big number, I'm not going to tell you what it is because it's part of Rafa's plan, but the new stadium is very important to that because with the higher revenues Liverpool have we will be able to compete with anybody."

MARCH 20
Rethinking stadium plans a wise move

By Ian Rush - Liverpool Echo

On the surface, I'm in agreement with Liverpool’s decision to review
their stadium design.

What surprises me is the club were pressing ahead with plans to build an arena which couldn’t be extended at a later date.

It makes more sense to have the capacity enlarged when and if the demand is there, just like Manchester United has done over recent years.

They began with a 60,000 capacity and have been gradually increasing it in recent years.

I was under the impression Liverpool would have been already able to do similar under the current design. If that’s not so, it’s understandable George Gillett and Tom Hicks are wanting a rethink.

I saw the designs of the Stanley Park ground and thought they were fantastic.

Whatever changes are made, I feel it’s essential the building continues as soon as possible.

Liverpool simply can’t afford to be left behind for another seven years while more planning applications are prepared.

I can only imagine the architects are working overtime to make changes quickly. If so, I also hope they’re not forgetting the importance of the Kop End.

This was the one part of the design which I still found ambiguous.

All the stands looked the same, which left me wondering how the home stand was going to be distinct from the rest of the stadium?

There’s no point having identical stands behind each goal and thinking just because you name one The Kop, it will be the same as we have now. I know the fans would be very disappointed if that was the case.

As European nights at Anfield show, the proximity of the fans to the players creates a Coliseum style and undoubtedly has an impact, lifting the Liverpool team and intimidating the opponents.

When I see wonderful stadia such as The Emirates, Old Trafford or even the Millennium Stadium, there’s no question the noise levels and atmosphere can be great, but it still bears no comparison to the ‘in-your-face’ environment of Anfield.

Just because a stadium is modern, surely it doesn’t have to follow the same blueprint as all the other recently built arenas?

With Gillett and Hicks securing full ownership of the club, these are questions which they’re going to have to answer.

They made many commitments in their offer to shareholders, which is why so many were willing to allow them 100 per cent ownership, and it’s clear the Liverpool manager is now hoping for clarification about what will happen.

I’d be staggered if Rafa Benitez left for Madrid as the rumours have suggested, but I doubt the owners will be making it clear publicly how much money will be available for new players.

The kitty will surely depend on Liverpool securing Champions League football, which they’re still to do, and also how much prize money they can win from this year’s competition.

By the end of the season, Benitez should know what his budget is.

As for Madrid, I’m sure I’m not alone in getting fed up hearing the same story at the same time every year.

Even if there is some substance to the rumours, it’s a bit like the Steven Gerrard to Chelsea saga a few years ago. There reaches a point where you just want to hear everyone at the club stating they’re only interested in Liverpool and don’t welcome the speculation.

That’s how the Gerrard situation was eventually resolved and I hope the same applies in this case, otherwise we’ll be faced with the same uncertainty at the same point of every season.

That’s not fair to the fans.

MARCH 19
LFC stadium delay
‘won’t affect revamp of area’

By Tony McDonough - Liverpool Daily Post

One of the developers transforming the Anfield area of Liverpool said the possible delay to the building of Liverpool Football Club’s new stadium would not affect their regeneration plans.

Haslam Homes, which is responsible for the housing renewal programme in Anfield and Breckfield said there was an element of flexibility in their plan.

Last week, it was revealed that work on the new arena had been halted on the orders of the club’s new American owners, Tom Hick and George Gillett.

They have tasked designers with finding a way of increasing the capacity of the stadium which is currently set at 60,000.

The tycoons believe the huge demand for season tickets would mean there would be little trouble in filling the extra seats.

A radical change in the design could mean a new planning application would have to be submitted to Liverpool City Council and there are fears that regeneration projects linked to the stadium could also be held up.

However, Tim Wray, managing director of developer Haslam Homes, told the Daily Post the issue would not affect its own scheme.

“It won’t affect our plan,” he said. “If it comes on in year one or two it will make little difference. We can develop around it.

“Having said that, the stadium is a key part of the regeneration of the area.

“The regeneration scheme has been planned in such a way as to offer flexibility.”

Mr Wray added that Haslam was providing a combination of new housing and refurbished properties.

“The area has suffered with decades of neglect, road after road has the same type of housing.

“We are providing variety in the housing offer,” he said. “We’ve finished the first phase of 71 houses adjacent to Anfield (stadium).

“We sold all units in 12 months and 60% have been bought by local people.

“It shows they want to stay in the area.”

MARCH 16
Stadium review is a good idea says Benitez

By Jeremy Butler - Reuters

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said on Friday he supported the decision of new owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to review the plans for the club's proposed stadium.

The Americans have halted preparatory work to set up a review of the new stadium to discover if they can increase the proposed 60,000 capacity.

"We talked about 60,000 fans, that would be fantastic but now we're talking about 70 or 80,000 and that would be better," Benitez told reporters on Friday.

"More Liverpool supporters could see the game and there are more possibilities for the club in terms of money. For me, it's good for the club."

Benitez says building the new stadium is just part of the work Hicks and Gillett need to complete to bring Liverpool onto a par with Manchester United and Chelsea.

He believes the club are heading in the right direction but need to speed up their plans.

"The message is clear - we need to improve in a lot of things," he added.

"You can't spend 100 million pounds each year on players to improve the team. We are a top side, we are in the Champions League and we have to look at ways of improving the club.

"It is clear we are in the right way but we have to go maybe faster."

Liverpool have played at Anfield since Everton left in 1892 and the proposed new stadium would be close to Anfield on Stanley Park, the open space which separates Anfield from Everton's home at Goodison Park.

Although Anfield once held almost 62,000 for an FA Cup match against Wolves in 1952, the current capacity of the ground is just over 45,000.

MARCH 15
Reds’ plan to match United

By David Prentice - Liverpool Echo

George Gillett and Tom Hicks told city planners they want extra time to ensure Liverpool’s new stadium eventually matches the capacity
of Old Trafford.

The American duo want to modify existing plans to ensure a fresh planning application won’t be required and any delay in building work takes weeks, not months or years.

Gillett and Hicks met planners when they visited Merseyside last week, when their ambition to extend the capacity from 61,000 to 76,000 - the same as at Manchester United - was underlined.

They’re now working as quickly as possible to make the revision in a way that works for the city planners.

One possibility is proceeding with the plan to build a 61,000 capacity, but with a provision to extend at a later date.

More details on their proposals are anticipated when the duo return to Liverpool
on March 31.

In the meantime, building of the new Anfield Stadium has been temporarily suspended.

“They are conducting a very swift review of what is possible,” explained Reds chief executive Rick Parry.

“Yes work has been halted very temporarily, but their commitment to the new stadium is total. There’s no question of that.

“But if there is going to be a review of what might be possible, now is the time.

“If there are going to be any changes, however, it will be a case of scaling up, not downscaling.

“They are experts in this field and I’m constantly hearing phrases like ‘best in the world’.

“They just want to understand exactly what the options are for the future. If there are ways of constructing the stadium which would allow for future expansion, they want
to investigate it.

“It makes perfect common sense.

“They don’t want to steam ahead into something which might prevent expansion in the future.

“Construction deadlines won’t change, however. Any changes will be discussed in the next few weeks and actual building-work will commence on the planned date.”

Among ideas being considered by the Americans are “bunker suites” – executive boxes built underground, with lifts to and from the seats in the stand above.

The idea was developed by President George W Bush when he was joint owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, which Hicks now owns, to offer a place for his father, who was President at the time, to watch games securely.

More are planned for the ground at Arlington and at the 100,000-capacity stadium being built nearby for the Dallas Cowboys, which is due to open in 2009.

Last month Hicks explained: “We met with HKS (US architects) and we said, ‘Here are the constraints, take a fresh look and see if there are other ideas we can incorporate on the inside that would make it more fan-friendly, produce more revenues and give more customer satisfaction’, they areworking on ideas.

“What we have to do is strike a balance between new ideas and Yankee ingenuity at the same time as protecting the traditions of Liverpool and Anfield. We’re going to do that very quickly.

“We kind of stumbled into the concept of the bunker suites. But it’s essentially an underground living room where you can go down and have fine food, fine wine, big-screen TVs, and then go up and watch the pitch live.”

Hicks wants to replicate the way he has used sports stadia to regenerate run-down areas of Dallas.

He has done it with the American Airlines Centre, a £210 million arena which is home to the Dallas Stars and Mavericks. He also has plans to redevelop 1.2 million square feet of land next to the Arlington stadium into a leisure, retail and residential complex in a £260 million project, which will open in 2009.

MARCH 12
New Anfield: The first picture

By Nick Coligan - Liverpool Echo

This is the picture that proves that the new Anfield dream is to become reality.

Parts of Stanley park have been fenced off for preparatory work on Liverpool’s 60,000 seater stadium.

It includes digging boreholes to check ground conditions in the park, a few hundred yards from the existing ground.

Compounds for the storage of equipment are also being set up, according to community leaders.

The club and Liverpool council are keen to get off to the best possible start with the £215m project because of the funding situation.

A chunk of taxpayers’ money granted to the overall scheme, which will be used to improve the area around the new stadium, must be spent by the end of next year.

When the Reds were taken over by American tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks at the beginning of last month, they said the ground had to be underway within 60 days.

The club and council are now working together to complete legal and planning issues, and hope to start on site this spring.

Anfield councillor Kiron Reid said: “The fact that the council’s parks team is happy for this preparatory work to start is clear evidence that the stadium is going to be built.

“Most Anfield residents just want this project to get under way. They know a new playground is being put in at the moment, but they also want the park to be restored and the entire regeneration package.”

The restoration of Stanley park will be one of the largest schemes of its type in the country, and will see bridges, walls, pavilions, the park lodge and the Isla Gladstone conservatory brought back to their former glory.

MARCH 8
Gerrard reveals Anfield anguish

By Paul Walker - PA Sport

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits he feels torn about the prospect of leaving Anfield for a new, larger stadium.

And the midfielder, although insisting that he fully understands and approves of the plans to build a new stadium in Stanley Park, says he will be "gutted" when the doors are closed on the famous old stadium for the last time.

"In a perfect world, we'd have stayed on the Anfield site and redeveloped that, but that option was always a none starter," said the England midfielder.

Gerrard and his colleagues witnessed another of those special Anfield nights this week when the Reds, roared on by a special atmosphere, secured an away goals victory against Barcelona to seal a Champions League quarter-final slot.

And it is the potential loss of the Anfield magic that concerns many fans. New owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks experienced that themselves for the first time on Tuesday, but used their flying visit from the United States to discuss plans for the new Stanley Park venture.

Gerrard, in a LFC magazine interview, said: "It will be a proud moment for me if I get the chance to lead Liverpool into the new era as captain in a new stadium.

"But that is a long way down the road from where we are at the moment. The new investors have spoken a lot about winning and being successful, which I am sure is music to everyone's ears.

"That is all we want as players, to be successful long-term. That is what the manager Rafael Benitez wants and the supporters are used to success and they want more."

And Gerrard is realistic enough to know that the only way Liverpool can match the success of Manchester United is to have a stadium big enough to generate the finances needed to compete at that level.

He says: "I'd love to stay at Anfield, but you have got to look at the bigger picture.

"As a player I want to be up there competing for every single trophy we can win. When you look at United and Arsenal they are pulling more punters into the ground than we are, and it makes a difference to our revenue over the season. We are playing catch-up every season.

"I see the pros and cons in the move for financial reasons. To win things, the time has come for us to go for it (a new stadium)."

Liverpool's current stadium holds 45,000 fans, and the new one next door will be almost 60,000.

But Gerrard is understandably torn between realism and the romance of Anfield.

"My feelings on the stadium move are mixed, to be honest. The Liverpool supporter in me says I want to stay at Anfield because it's the spiritual home.

"It is where I came to watch my heroes as a kid and it is where I always dreamed of playing when I was young and kicking a ball about in Huyton.

"It has got this sense of history and tradition about it, and I still feel the same walking down the tunnel and up the steps to the pitch today as I got when I made my debut for the team."

MARCH 1
Parry: We’ll keep the Kop at new ground

Liverpool Echo

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry insists the club are fully committed to ensuring the Stanley Park Stadium incorporates a distinctive Kop End.

Designs for the new arena reveal that, unike the current Anfield, there won’t be one larger stand eclipsing the others, which has prompted some fears the impact of the current Kop won’t be replicated.

The Reds chief says both the current hierarchy and the new owners have been considering several alternative ways to ensure the most famous stand in football is recreated within the modern stadium.

George Gillett and Tom Hicks are in the process of analysing what minor improvements can be made to the current design, but there will be no compromise on preserving the The Kop End.

"The plan is to have a single tier Kop. There’s no question of that. That’s one of the priorities we don’t want to change," said Parry.

"In terms of whether one stand will be bigger than others, that’s difficult. When you’re designing a new stadium that’s not particularly logical. But all of us at the club know that making The Kop distinctive is very important. George and Tom absolutely understand that. There are a variety of different ways we can do that, but we don’t have any specifics to discuss at the moment."

Parry is also acutely aware of the need to preserve the unique Anfield atmosphere likely in the forthcoming fixtures against Manchester United and Barcelona, while also supporting fans’ efforts to enhance the noise levels at less high profile games.

One theory is that if the facilities in the Stanley Park Stadium are good enough, more fans may be encouraged to arrive at the ground earlier, which tends to build an atmosphere prior to kick-off.

However, Parry recognises changing the match going routines of Liverpool supporters is easier in theory than practice.

"We can certainly improve facilities and if we do that well, perhaps we can encourage more people to congregate in the stadium earlier.

"But changing habits is difficult," he said.

"If we can provide more football related pre-match entertainment which isn’t marching bands or dancing girls, there must be ways of doing it. But that has to come from the fans. We want to listen to them and hear ways of making that difference.

"We have a dialogue with the fans involved with the Reclaim The Kop camapaign, but we know they’re not an exclusive voice on these issues and don’t necessarily speak for everyone.

"But with the Reclaim The Kop campaign we respect that someone is trying to take the initiative and take positive action. That should be applauded and we’re always keen to hear more ideas."

Gillett and Hicks will bring their own matchday experiences from the United States, but there is clearly a different culture separating American and English sports fans.

Parry added: "With American sports, the whole event is much longer. In all their sports there are more time-outs and breaks, so for an hour long ice hockey match you’re there three hours. Baseball is even longer, so there’s a lot of stop-starting which couldn’t be the case here.

"You also have car parking for 12,000 people so there’s more picnic areas and the like. It’s completely different here. The reason people went to the ground earlier in football grounds in the old days is because you didn’t always have a seat and needed to queue up to get in.

"Nowadays people have their seat in advance."

FEBRUARY 21
New stadium plans go on display

BBC Sport Online

Plans for Liverpool Football Club's new stadium and the regeneration of Stanley Park are to go on show.

Residents are being asked for their views on the proposals for the park, which houses the Isla Gladstone Conservatory.

Liverpool FC's new owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks agreed to make funds available to build the new stadium as part of the purchasing deal.

The exhibition is at the Vernon Sangster Sports Centre.

The Stanley Park work is part of wider plans for New Anfield and Breckfield.

The £215m project is expected to bring new community facilities, jobs, homes and business to the area.

The exhibition will be open on 26 and 27 February.

Councillor Berni Turner said: "This will be a chance for residents and others to see what the Stanley Park of the 21st Century will look like.

"It involves major works in restoring the park to a standard which will make it one of the leading recreational spaces in the region."

The wider regeneration project will be one of the largest urban parks restoration schemes in the country.

It involves the repair and restoration of the park's structures including bridges, walls, pavilions and the park lodge.

The new 60,000-seater stadium includes a Community Partnership Centre, a replacement for the Vernon Sangster Sports Centre.

It is due to open at the start of the 2009/10 Premiership season.

FEBRUARY 19
Home is where the heart is...

By James Pearce - Liverpool Echo

Work is set to start on Liverpool’s new stadium in Stanley Park in
the coming weeks.

The state-of-the-art £200 million project should be finished in time for the Reds to kick-off the 2009/2010 season in their new home.

But will the move from the current 44,500 capacity Anfield to a 60,000 seater stadium really satisfy the demand for tickets? It would seem not.

There are currently a staggering 56,000 supporters on the season ticket waiting list.

The move to the new ground will allow many more fans to claim their own seat, but for the vast majority the long wait will go on.

At present Anfield has 24,000 season ticket holders and it’s unlikely that figure will rise beyond 40,000 at the new ground, with the remaining 20,000 taken up by members of the priority ticket scheme, general sale and away fans.

The new Anfield will be the same size at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and second in Premiership capacity only to Old Trafford, which now holds 76,000.

But with so many fans desperate to get a slice of the action, why didn’t the Reds set their sights even higher?

The answer lies in the club’s commitment to stay close to its roots.

Stadium manager Ged Poynton said: “We could have possibly gone elsewhere, where there is more space, and built a 70,000 or 80,000 stadium, but the overwhelming desire was to stay in the Anfield area.

“If we wanted to build a ground in Stanley Park then 60,000 was the biggest it could be.

“It’s not just a case of the size of the land available but also the infrastructure. Things like transport links have to be taken into consideration.”

Liverpool Football Club supporters club chairman Richard Pedder believes the vast majority of fans are happy with the plans.

“It’s very important to supporters that we aren’t moving far,” he said.

“The ground is called Anfield and it’s in the constituency of Anfield.

“The area has always been the home of the club and it’s very important that there is that continuity.

“I think from day one Rick Parry has appreciated that. Staying local is also vital for the regeneration of Anfield.

“Anfield is known across the world. That’s why whatever the new stadium is called it has to have the word ‘Anfield’ in it. The name Anfield can be added to but it cannot be completely changed.

“Some people will say a 60,000 capacity isn’t big enough but you’ve got to remember that filling a massive stadium still depends on the side being successful.”

New American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks are currently re-assessing plans for the new stadium, although due to the time scale and planning permission, any changes they make are likely to be minor.

Hicks, who partly built his billion dollar fortune in the construction industry, has vowed to ensure the unique Anfield atmosphere isn’t lost by the move.

“I’m assured that the design that’s already been done and is in place will ensure that the individuality and aura of Anfield remains in our new home,” he said.

“That uniqueness is what makes Anfield such a famous stadium and no-one wants to lose that.

“We’re going to try and tweak a few minor things that people may not even be able to see.

“The stadium will retain the same level of noise and excitement that makes it such a special place. A lot of new stadiums haven’t done that but ours will, I’m sure.

“The alterations are things like the design of the suites, and how many suites there are. Can we maximise capacities?

“We’ll also be looking at the functionalities of the suites and also at the idea of supporter focused bars which open early on matchdays and stay open late after games.

“We’re taking a fresh look at things to see if there are any other creature comforts we can fit in to make it special for supporters.”

Thor Zakariassen ©