Finishing touches are being put to Anfield’s Main Stand expansion which will see the project completed over the coming weeks, the English Premier League soccer club has announced in a statement.
The home and away team dressing rooms, the final areas to be completed, were used for the first time during the Merseyside derby in April.
Construction work on the Main Stand started back in January 2015 and it was officially opened 614 days later on September 10, 2016.
As a result of the additional 8,500 seats in the Main Stand, the attendance at Anfield this season has averaged over 53,000.
Andy Hughes, Liverpool FC’s chief operating officer, said, “We’re absolutely delighted with the success of the Main Stand expansion project. The feedback from supporters has been incredible. For a construction project of this scale to come in on time and on budget is an outstanding achievement by everyone involved.”
Further construction projects will be taking place at Anfield over the closed season. Work will start on increasing the number of wheelchair bays from 195 to more than 250 positions, adding more than 150 extra amenity and easy access seats around the stadium, improving viewing positions for visiting disabled supporters, and creating new raised disabled bays in the Centenary Stand for home disabled supporters.
A new pitch will also be installed over the summer, which will improve the playing surface and overall quality of the pitch ready for the new season. Outside of the stadium, construction work is continuing on Anfield’s flagship store with the main structural work completed in preparation for opening at the start of next campaign.
Hughes added, “It’s important that we continue to invest across the club and develop our infrastructure and facilities.
“The Anfield Road Stand also provides opportunities to further develop our stadium in the future. We always said that we would complete the Main Stand and assess its success before looking at any development for Anfield Road. Our outline planning consent expires in August 2019 and we will follow the same robust process for Anfield Road as we did for the Main Stand.
“We are currently working up design, feasibility, cost, capacity and economic viability options. Only once we have completed this comprehensive process and come to a conclusion will it be the right time to move forward with any development program.
“In addition to all the work happening at the stadium over the summer, we will also look to submit a planning application to develop our site at Kirkby to bring our first team and academy football training operations and facilities together.
“All these developments are an important part of the club’s strategy to continuously improve and ultimately support the team and further attract players. Equally, we must also continue to manage our operations of the club and maintain the financial stability everyone has worked so hard to establish.”
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May 10, 2017
