The completion of Liverpool’s Anfield Road Stand redevelopment has been further delayed with the upper tier set to remain closed until the new year.
The £80million ($98m) project was initially due to be finished by the start of the season with 7,000 extra seats boosting capacity to around 61,000.
However, it has been beset by problems with the redevelopment running behind schedule before contractor Buckingham Group went into administration in August.
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Liverpool subsequently appointed Rayner Rowen Construction to take over, with work restarting last month after a three-week hiatus.
However, hopes of a phased opening of the upper tier prior to Christmas — starting with the Merseyside derby later this month — have since been dashed and it means the capacity will remain at around 50,000 until at least January.
Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said: “I want to thank all of our supporters for their patience and understanding while we navigate through the situation, which has been incredibly challenging over the last few months.
“We have effectively been operating with the lower stand being open over the course of the early part of the season, which is allowing Rayner Rowen to continue the analysis of the project.
“Over the course of the last few days it has become clear that in order to complete a thorough assessment of that project completion timeline, it’s going to take longer than we first thought. Ultimately, what that means for supporters is that until we have visibility of all the information needed, we’re going to have to maintain the status quo for the remainder of the calendar year.
“Ultimately this is a decision that was made in order for us to give time for ourselves and external consultants as well as for Rayner Rowen to continue with the assessment of the project and ultimately to finalise the project timeline.”
Asked about the situation for fans who have bought tickets in the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand for upcoming matches, Hogan added: “We’re really sorry for all those supporters who are impacted. It means ultimately we won’t be in a position to be able to provide seats for those fans who have purchased those tickets in the upper tier. Our team has identified who those supporters are and they will be reaching out directly to those supporters next week.”
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Fan refunds but financial ramifications as wait goes on
A new-look Anfield was supposed to be packed with 61,000 fans for the opening home game of the season against Bournemouth in August.
The fact that the capacity will be limited to just over 50,000 until at least January will hurt the club financially and leave supporters waiting to fill those new seats in the redeveloped Anfield Road Stand further disappointed.
The scale of the work still required after Rayner Rowen took over as the contractor following the demise of the Buckingham Group in September has led to Liverpool ditching the revised plan of a phased opening of the upper tier, starting with the Merseyside derby on October 21.
Anfield officials felt they needed to provide some certainty for fans who are planning travel arrangements and hotel stays for the coming months. Liverpool entertain both Manchester United and Arsenal among others before Christmas.
One factor in the troubled project being further delayed is that Rayner Rowen are still gathering information which was missing following the change in contractors. As a result the revised completion date is still unclear.
Effectively, deciding now that the upper tier will remain completely closed for the next three months allows the contractors more on-site time, without the need to constantly stop-start around home matches.
The news will be a hammer blow for those fans who have already bought tickets in the upper tier for the game against Everton. They will be refunded but that won’t be much consolation as the wait for a bigger Anfield goes on.
(Photo: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista via Getty Images)