Liverpool’s plans to expand the seating capacity at Anfield might not see the light. The owners of the club may not be looking to add more seats as it could anger fans. It has been reported that the expansion depends on increased ticket prices and that is something the club is not looking forward to.
Last season thousands of fans protested against the decision to charge £77 for some of the tickets in the new main stand.
John Henry, part of FSG stated that ticket prices are a problem in England.
“Ticket prices are an issue in England,” Henry was quoted by the BBC. “That may foreclose further expansion.”
Expansion of main stand complete
Liverpool had worked on the expansion of the main stand and had added 8,500 seats. This increased the capacity of Anfield to 54,074. But plans to extend the expansion to the Anfield Road end could be stalled.
“I don’t know if there will be a next step,” said Henry.
The extension would see another 5,000 seats added but the fear of rising ticket prices and more protest from fans is the fear for FSG.
There are rumblings from fan groups at the moment and James McKenna questioned the decision by the owners.
The Spirit of Shankly fans’ group did stage a protest in the 2-2 draw against Sunderland last season and McKenna also stated that Liverpool is making more money through deals.
“There is outline planning for the work and it seems a little disingenuous that we have never been told that ticket prices would impact the decision to redevelop the Anfield Road end.
“At a time when the club has increased revenues, to suggest that making an extra million pounds or so would prevent further expansion going ahead is a little strange; maybe John Henry should clarify what he means.”
A questionable decision by FSG
The comments made by Henry certainly are a bit confusing. While not increasing ticket prices is a good decision, that should not come in the way of the seating expansion. Liverpool were expected to move away from Anfield but working on the historic stadium is a better option. The major problem has been the lack of seating and the first step of development certainly seems to have worked well.
The next stage should not depend on revenue from ticket prices. The Premier League clubs recently negotiated a mega TV deal and that money should be used for the expansion.
FSG are known to make business decisions but sometimes football decisions need to be made using emotions. Keeping the fans on their side should be the number one concern for the American owners.
Liverpool need more seating
While Arsenal and Manchester United have a greater seating capacity than Liverpool. West Ham United’s new Olympic Stadium also seats close to 60,000 fans. The Reds need to keep adding more seats to cater to larger crowds but also to create hospitality boxes which lead to greater revenue.
Not increasing ticket prices is a good decision but this should not be the reason why extra seats are not added.
