The revamped stand at Liverpool's stadium was due to be ready for the start of the Premier League season. However, The Reds authorities announced today that this will not happen. Anfield for the first match of the 2023/24 campaign will have limited capacity and the new stand will be opened in stages.

Anfield Road Stand later than planned

The second phase of the expansion of Liverpool's home ground began in September 2021. The scope of work includes increasing the capacity of the north stand on the Anfield Road side. Previously, the Main Stand was upgraded in 2014-16 and now holds a total of 20,676 spectators. The new sections on the north side of the venue are being built in the same way as those on the west one. Similarly, the work began with the erection of the structure directly behind the stand so that the existing structure remains fully functional. The enlarged Anfield Road Stand was due to be ready for the start of the 2023/24 season, but it is already clear that construction has caught a delay.

Liverpool executives have just announced that Anfield's capacity will be limited during the first matches of the upcoming campaign. The Reds will play their first home game against Bournemouth on August 19. The main contractor for the redevelopment, Buckingham Group, has confirmed that while the lower stand will be open and operational for the first home game, the new upper tier will remain closed for the time being.

© Mister Drone UK

Liverpool have indicated that it is anticipated that the additional seats will be made available in stages over the course of subsequent matches. After the match against Bournemouth, when Anfield's capacity is expected to be reduced from around 54,000 to 51,000, Buckingham Group plans to open the upper tier in stages, with the whole process expected to be completed in October.

The Main Stand also opened in stages

The Reds authorities stressed that the west stand was being made accessible to fans in a similar way.The new structure opened as late as September 2016. The club then played its first three games of the season away and the new sections were opened in stages.

The cost of the Anfield Road Stand extension is £80 million. The work carried out will increase the venue's capacity to 61,000 spectators. The new stand is the fourth major investment project undertaken by Liverpool in recent years, following the new Main Stand, the 2017 Anfield Megastore and the opening of the AXA training centre in 2020. A fifth project was recently announced with the repurchase of Melwood, which will be the new training centre for Liverpool FC Women.

You can watch an overview of all the Premier League stadiums of the 2023/24 season in a video on our YouTube channel: