A further delay to the redevelopment of the Anfield Road stand means it will not be open for the men’s Merseyside derby.
The club are conducting an £80m upgrade to lift capacity by 7,000 to 61,000 but this latest setback has occured because Buckingham, the company in charge of the new development, sank into administration last month.
Following the construction firm’s collapse, Liverpool then targeted next weekend’s Merseyside derby against Everton as the new date to open the stand. Originally due to open in August, now the full opening of the stand has been pushed back once again until sometime next year.
Rayner Rowen Construction have now taken over the construction of the new stand, yet the club are yet to commit to a new project timeline.
Liverpool are expected to lose at least £10.5 million as a result of the Anfield Road Stand’s upper tier not opening until 2024.
The Reds chief executive Billy Hogan said it was “not possible at this point to put a new timeline in place” for completion of the project.
Times journalist Paul Joyce reported the news on Twitter to many angry and frustrated Reds.
Liverpool announce the upper tier of the Anfield Road stand to remain closed until 2024 in further delay to expansion project. Supporters who bought tickets for Everton game will be contacted by club. https://t.co/LwfFn3nczB
— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) October 12, 2023
Having already played five games with no upper tier in use, Liverpool have already lost nearly £4 million in revenue so far this season.
Hogan apologised to Liverpool fans who had already bought tickets for next weekend’s highly anticipated Merseyside derby when the teams return from the international break.
Hogan said: “We are really disappointed to have to deliver this news and really sorry for all those supporters who are impacted.
“I realise this is of little solace. This a really complex and deeply frustrating situation.”
The Fans Reactions
Frustrated Liverpool fans took to X (formerly twitter) with one fan even likening the delay to Thiago Alcântara’s long lasting injury.
The Reds will now host three of their most high-profile home games – the visit of neighbours Everton on Saturday week, and the December games against Manchester United and Arsenal – with a reduced capacity of around 51,000.
Liverpool FC chief executive officer Billy Hogan has today provided an update for supporters on the status of the ongoing Anfield Road Stand expansion project:
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 12, 2023
