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Liverpool chief says Anfield Road end revamp needs right financial model

Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre has suggested that a repayment scheme that could be put in place to fund the redevelopment of the Anfield Road end of the English Premier League football club’s stadium would be “not a smart investment for the business” at this moment in time.

Liverpool secured outline planning to permission to carry out the revamp, increasing the stadium’s capacity by 4,800, in September 2014 as part of its application to rebuild the ground’s new main stand, which opened a few weeks ago.

However, in a meeting with the Liverpool Supporters’ Committee, Ayre said that it would cost between £60m (€66m/$73m) and £70m to fund the Anfield Road end revamp, with a 15-year repayment plan put in place.

The redevelopment would increase the capacity of Anfield to 58,500.

“A stand behind a goal doesn’t have the benefit of hospitality that would go a long way to meet the redevelopment costs,” Ayre said.

“If you consider the redevelopment of Anfield Road from a purely general admission perspective, building, say, 6,000 extra seats to take the capacity up to 60,000 would cost somewhere between £60m and £70m.

“At £12,000 to £13,000 per seat, it would take approximately 15 years to pay back, which is not a smart investment for the business. Therefore the club needs to find a rounded solution that’s in the best interests of the football club.”

Liverpool’s parent company, Fenway Sports Group, funded the £114m main stand project with an interest-free loan, which is expected to be repaid within six years.

“As with the main stand, the club has to find the right economic model, and only then will it be the right time to move forward,” Ayre said, referring to the Anfield Road end.

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