Liverpool top brass have revealed their long term plan for the historic Anfield stadium.
Chief executive Peter Moore has revealed Liverpool want to increase capacity - as well as making the ground a top concert venue.
Liverpool have outline planning permission, which expires in August 2019, for developing the Anfield Road End that would provide an extra 5,000 seats, report the Liverpool Echo.
The stadium has seen significant change in recent years, most notably the construction of a new £110million Main Stand that has bumped the capacity up to around 54,000.
And Moore believes getting more fans in the ground is an imperative part of the long-term plan to capitalise on the role the stadium can play in the community.
“These days you have to also think of the non-matchdays,” said Moore, speaking in the latest edition of the fcbusiness magazine.
“Stadiums are massive fixed costs and they are very important places for fans to visit, both locally and from around the world.
“We will continue to invest in Anfield. As a club we have to look at how we can better facilitate visits to make them even more special than they currently are.
Revenue is critically important, but so is the continued modernisation of Anfield. We will continue to look at the feasibility for any proposed Anfield Road expansion over the coming months and years.
“It is important for us to be able to get more fans in the ground. But no matter what we do there, it won't satisfy demand.
“We have outline planning permission that is good for another year-and-a-half and if we change our views on what we want to do, we can always resubmit another planning application.”
Venues such as the St James Park, the Etihad, the Stadium of Light, Old Trafford, the bet365 Stadium and the Ricoh Arena regularly host music concerts from the likes of Beyonce, U2, Muse, Coldplay, Bon Jovi and Ed Sheeran.
And Moore admits there would have to be additional work at Anfield for the stadium to be regularly considered for such gigs.
“A lot of our colleagues in the Premier League use their stadiums to great effect in the close season as concert venues,” he added.
“When one thinks of Liverpool and its linkage to music and other sports, it would make sense to look at longer-term options to be a part of that.
“Some further work would need to be done on the stadium to make the case for what we call 'Destination Anfield', which is to make this a very special place, a place people not only want to visit 365 days a year, but also to make it a venue for non-football events, as and when they become available.
“Work would need to be done to make it a little bit more friendly for bringing in concert stages. The last major concert here was Paul McCartney (in 2008) when they had to drop the stage in with cranes over the top of the roof of the stands.
"Obviously that is not ideal.
“Access to the stadium becomes critical for anything like this to enable us to compete.”
Chief executive Peter Moore has revealed Liverpool want to increase capacity - as well as making the ground a top concert venue.
Liverpool have outline planning permission, which expires in August 2019, for developing the Anfield Road End that would provide an extra 5,000 seats, report the Liverpool Echo.
The stadium has seen significant change in recent years, most notably the construction of a new £110million Main Stand that has bumped the capacity up to around 54,000.
And Moore believes getting more fans in the ground is an imperative part of the long-term plan to capitalise on the role the stadium can play in the community.
“These days you have to also think of the non-matchdays,” said Moore, speaking in the latest edition of the fcbusiness magazine.
“Stadiums are massive fixed costs and they are very important places for fans to visit, both locally and from around the world.
“We will continue to invest in Anfield. As a club we have to look at how we can better facilitate visits to make them even more special than they currently are.
Revenue is critically important, but so is the continued modernisation of Anfield. We will continue to look at the feasibility for any proposed Anfield Road expansion over the coming months and years.
“It is important for us to be able to get more fans in the ground. But no matter what we do there, it won't satisfy demand.
“We have outline planning permission that is good for another year-and-a-half and if we change our views on what we want to do, we can always resubmit another planning application.”
Venues such as the St James Park, the Etihad, the Stadium of Light, Old Trafford, the bet365 Stadium and the Ricoh Arena regularly host music concerts from the likes of Beyonce, U2, Muse, Coldplay, Bon Jovi and Ed Sheeran.
And Moore admits there would have to be additional work at Anfield for the stadium to be regularly considered for such gigs.
“A lot of our colleagues in the Premier League use their stadiums to great effect in the close season as concert venues,” he added.
“When one thinks of Liverpool and its linkage to music and other sports, it would make sense to look at longer-term options to be a part of that.
“Some further work would need to be done on the stadium to make the case for what we call 'Destination Anfield', which is to make this a very special place, a place people not only want to visit 365 days a year, but also to make it a venue for non-football events, as and when they become available.
“Work would need to be done to make it a little bit more friendly for bringing in concert stages. The last major concert here was Paul McCartney (in 2008) when they had to drop the stage in with cranes over the top of the roof of the stands.
"Obviously that is not ideal.
“Access to the stadium becomes critical for anything like this to enable us to compete.”
