Liverpool close to £100m boost after Anfield decision made by FSG

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Since last summer, work has been ongoing to renovate the Anfield Road Stand, demonstrating the ambition of FSG.

Source: The Kop Times

Liverpool Football Club have requested that their first game of the 2023/24 season be played away from home as they prepare for the final stages of the £80m Anfield Road redevelopment project.

Anfield Expansion to Boost Matchday Revenue of Liverpool

The expansion, which will add 7,000 more seats to Anfield, will increase the stadium’s capacity to 61,000 and is expected to significantly boost matchday revenue.

Liverpool’s Anfield stadium is one of the most iconic venues in world football, and Liverpool have also benefited from increased revenue since the 2010 acquisition by Fenway Sports Group, which decided to remain at the club’s spiritual home instead of building a new stadium.

They have invested significantly in the redevelopment of the stadium to maximize its revenue potential. The Main Stand redevelopment, completed in 2016 at a cost of £114m, added 8,500 seats, enhancing the matchday experience and corporate offerings and growing revenue significantly.

This enhanced the matchday experience, leading to a 39% increase in matchday revenues since the completion of the project. Liverpool’s matchday revenue has more than doubled over the past 10 years to £86.8m.

Once the Anfield Road End expansion is completed, Liverpool are likely to join Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in generating matchday revenue of over £100m. The Anfield redevelopment will also enable greater food and beverage sales, thereby contributing to increased revenue.

The absence of summer concerts at Anfield in 2022 will accelerate the final stages of the development project. However, Liverpool expects to hold such events in 2023 and beyond.

Sam Kennedy on Anfield expansion update

Sam Kennedy, one of Fenway Sports Group’s most senior leaders and partners, noted that preserving and expanding Anfield, rather than building a new stadium, was the right decision. He said,

“We are on track and on budget. The progress has gone really well and we’re due to complete by the end of July, with a view to being ready for the first home game of the 2023-24 season.

It’s not been confirmed yet but we’ve asked for the first game to be away, which will mean the first home game is August 19 or 20.

It just means we have the best possible chance to make sure the stadium is ready, that we have had test events which are licensed and good to go.

There is an element of pitch work, to make sure it has recovered from the roof being removed and the work which takes place on the pitch during the close season.”

FSG invested several hundred million pounds into the facility, including the creation of a new main stand and Anfield Road stand, to improve the matchday experience and increase demand for tickets.

As Sam Kennedy has said, Liverpool have requested the away match to give themselves more time to finish the Anfield Road stand, which requires test events and potential additional work on the pitch, following the removal of the existing stand’s roof at the end of this season.

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