Proekt Anfield Expansion
  Ayre: Anfield must retain its uniqueness
  4th Dec 2014

  Ian Ayre stressed the importance of Anfield maintaining its unique personality on the day plans to increase the stadium's capacity through expansion of its Main Stand were confirmed.

  The club's chief executive officer helped officially announce the news at the club's L4 home this afternoon - and he sat down with Liverpoolfc.com to discuss the details of the development.

  While explaining how the expansion will bring the club up to the level of its competitors, Ayre also outlined plans for the Hillsborough memorial and the Shankly and Paisley gates. Below is a full transcript.

  Ian, today is a momentous day in the club's history. Just how proud are you?

  I'm very proud. I think for everyone who has been involved in this process for the last couple of years, we know the history of promises and false dawns around stadium and stadium plans for Liverpool. It's great to be here today and have what we described for the last couple of years now a certainty. We said we wouldn't make this big announcement, this big promise until we had certainty and we're here today with certainty on planning permission, certainty on our design and certainty from the point of view of the construction partner. So it's a great day for the football club and all of its fans.

  What does today's announcement show in terms of commitment from the ownership?

  I'm always surprised when people ask about the owners' commitment, because since the day they walked through the door, I don't think they've ever demonstrated anything other than commitment to the football club. But it's right to say that it's another indication of just how committed they are. It's a huge investment. It will bring the stadium up to the grade and to the level that you would expect of a team like Liverpool Football Club. I think it's a great testament to them as well that one of their briefs to us was it was really important to them we retain the unique atmosphere - the look and feel of Anfield in this new facility. They've done a fantastic thing in investing and giving us the opportunity to do this. Their commitment is unwavering in my opinion.

  How important is it that Liverpool Football Club has taken this step?

  It's vital. When we talk about competing, that means lots of things in football. Competing on the pitch, of course, is paramount for everyone; for the fans and for the staff. But we have to compete off the pitch and that means having the right revenue streams that compare to our competitors and the right facilities that you would expect of a football club like this. Building [the expansion] is one of those other pieces in that jigsaw. Revenues in football come from media revenues, some of which are linked to performance on the pitch; they come from commercial revenues - the great range of partners that we have developed in recent years. And then they come from matchday, which is all about ticketing and hospitality and retail. Having a world-class facility with the right capacity means that we can compete with some of our biggest competitors. So it was a vital piece in that jigsaw.

  How important has the support from the community been?

  It's been brilliant. I think it started from a very difficult place two years ago, when we first made the announcement that this was our preferred choice. To say the reaction was difficult and challenging would be an understatement. At that time, I said publicly to the residents of Anfield that we apologise on behalf of the football club. There were lots of issues around. Some of them were the football club's fault and some of them weren't. But from that day forward, it was interesting that by having a more open and honest and collaborative dialogue with local residents, they started to believe little-by-little and we had to prove that what we were saying, we were going to do. But as that progressed, that level of engagement became greater. The commitment from everyone became greater and gets us to today, which is a fantastic place, where there's lots of consultation. That has to continue. We're going to be a building site for the next 18 months or two years and that's difficult for people who live and reside in this area. So it's important that we are respectful in that and it's important that we continue that dialogue through the process and beyond it. We'll still be the biggest house in the biggest street in this area, with the most number of people coming to visit. So we have to be respectful of other people around this area. I think we've done that and we'll continue to do that by having that regular dialogue. If we communicate with everybody, then we'll achieve a lot together.

  Certainly an important part of the stadium is the Hillsborough memorial. What are the plans for the memorial?

  We've had a really good, open dialogue with the Hillsborough Family Support Group and the memorial, as well as the Shankly and Paisley gates, will be taken away during the construction phase and put in storage for safe-keeping. Then we'll put a temporary facility for the memorial in place during the construction and we're still talking to the families about what exactly that will be and where it will be. Then, post-construction, there will be a new area of contemplation for the Hillsborough memorial. It will be the same memorial, but sited in the new facility. We are hoping that not only it will be a bigger facility, where more people can go, but it will also be in an area that's more accessible. Currently it's on the side of Anfield Road, which can be difficult with traffic on matchdays, so it will be a nicer area and it will be very fitting. We've been talking to the families and I think they are pleased with the solution.

  In your presentation, you spoke about how this is just the beginning. What legacy do you want this expansion to leave behind?

  I grew up watching Liverpool here at Anfield in the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, it was all standing and people used to come here and love the atmosphere and love the facility, but in reality, the facilities then, compared to now, were so much further behind. This industry and this game that we all watch, it deserves better quality. I think the legacy we need to leave is making it a 21st-century Anfield, but make it feel like it always felt. We can't lose that look and feel or any of the atmosphere. We can't lose any of the things that are uniquely Anfield and the things that other players, clubs and fans come and experience and see the 'wow factor'. If we lose any of that, then we have got it wrong. So the legacy will be to get it right and for Liverpool fans and other fans to come here and feel like we made it better and up to grade and up to standard, but it's still Anfield.

  © Copyright of Official Site Liverpool F C		   Liverpool Football Club is proud to confirm plans to expand Anfield’s Main Stand.

  The legendary experience of Anfield makes the stadium one of the biggest attractions in the City and famous across the world. Our aim is to transform the Main Stand and the stadiums surrounding area into a modern destination that combines our great history and tradition with high quality facilities.

  In less than two years we will deliver an expanded Main Stand for our supporters and visitors, incorporating an additional 8,500 seats. The design will ensure that the unrivalled atmosphere and spirit of Anfield is retained, whilst taking the full stadium capacity to 54,000.

  The Main Stand will be one of the largest all-seater single stands in Europe. Visible from several points in the city, it will feature the iconic club crest and will add another impressive landmark to the world renowned Liverpool skyline.

  Our commitment to the regeneration of Anfield will go beyond the stadium boundaries in order to create a lasting legacy for North Liverpool. We will restore the ground to the heart of the local community by transforming surrounding lands; bringing new jobs, increased investment and more visitors to the area, the benefits of which will be felt right across the city.

  © Copyright of Official Site Liverpool F C

  Liverpool FC Anfield stadium development to start on Monday
  Dec 04, 2014 09:15

  Liverpool FC will begin construction work on the Anfield stadium redevelopment on Monday.

  The Reds have already been working to clear houses around the ground in preparation for the development, which will see an extra 13,000 seats added to the main stand and Anfield Road end.

  With the fabled spade going in the ground within days, the work is expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2016-17 season.

  In September, the J260m scheme received planning permission from Liverpool City Council with the project expected to create 360 new jobs andbring in an extra Ј14.5m to the area annually.

  Drone footage of the Anfield work so far



  Incorporating the iconic club crest into the proposed Main Stand’s exterior elevation, the scheme will also include a two-storey podium and an area which will become the new home for the Hillsborough Memorial.

  The scheme is part of a wider plan to redevelop the Anfield area, with a series of green spaces around the stadium being announced yesterday .

  Artist impressions of the area show two small parks at Blessington Road’s junction with Walton Breck Road and the triangular area between Hayfield and Gurnall streets. The images also show open paved areas with trees where Blessington Road meets Gorst and Randolph streets.



The green spaces, which are replacing derelict homes, will include benches and public art. The large brown figures in the images do not represent any particular statues, which have not yet been chosen.

  By Neil Macdonald

  © Copyright of site www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

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