Operations

Liverpool Women to move to St Helens’ stadium next season

Featured image credit: Rob Ridley

Featured image credit: Rob Ridley

Liverpool FC Women will play its home matches at the Totally Wicked Stadium, home of rugby league club St Helens, from next season as part of a 10-year lease agreement.

The club also plans on playing a number of fixtures at Anfield, home of Liverpool’s men’s team. The women’s team’s primary home ground is currently Prenton Park, home of League Two club Tranmere Rovers.

Totally Wicked Stadium will be fitted with a brand-new Premier League-standard pitch, along with enhanced and exclusive-use player facilities. The stadium will continue to be the home and property of St Helens, whose men’s and women’s teams will benefit from the upgraded pitch.

The rugby league season runs from February to September, meaning that LFC Women will have sole occupancy of the stadium for almost half of its season. The stadium move will also provide the club with its own bespoke dressing room for the first time.

The 18,000-capacity Totally Wicked Stadium was chosen by Liverpool as part of a wider review of the women’s team’s stadium options, as the Prenton Park agreement comes to an end this season. LFC Women’s final game at Prenton Park will be against Manchester United on Sunday.

Liverpool said the move to St Helens enables the club to deliver an improved matchday experience, not only around the ground but inside with covered concourses, which will pave the way for music, face painting, an enhanced food and drinks offering, kids’ kickabouts and more.

LFC Women season ticket holders have been informed of the new venue and will be contacted in the coming weeks about renewing for next season.

Susan Black, Liverpool’s director of communications and executive director of LFC Women, said: “This is another step forward for our women’s first team and we’re so excited to relocate to a new long-term home. Our players and incredible supporters were at the forefront of our decision-making process. We are confident St Helens will be a great matchday home and will look and feel part of the Liverpool family.

“We would like to place on record our great thanks to Mark Palios and the wider team at Tranmere Rovers for their great support over six seasons at Prenton Park on a matchday and of course at The Campus.

“As founding members of the Women’s Super League, we want to continue the work we’ve put in place and continue to progress in the league both on and off the pitch. Our next chapter for our women’s first team is about building solid foundation stones and today’s matchday venue announcement is another positive step forward on our journey.”

David Hutchinson, general manager at St Helens, added: “We are very proud to have secured this partnership with Liverpool FC Women at a time when women’s sport is at a pivotal stage in its growth and development.

“This comes at a time when participation, media exposure and commercial awareness for women’s football and rugby are at an all-time high. Hosting Liverpool FC Women will increase visitors to the stadium and offer up fantastic crossover opportunities for both our sports.

“We are very excited to get things underway and thank everyone involved for their hard work in achieving this.”