Liverpool Football Club today unveiled stunning new designs for their stadium in Stanley Park, coinciding with the submission of the official planning application to Liverpool City Council.
Scheduled to open in 2010, the 60,000 seat stadium has been designed to allow for future expansion which could see the capacity increased to the high seventies dependent on improvements to the local transport infrastructure.
The central importance of the Kop has also been recognised with a hugely increased capacity to 18,000 seats in a single tier stand.
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The stadium represents an investment of around £300 million by the Club in North Liverpool.
Chief Executive Rick Parry said: "It was always the aim of the Club, with the backing of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, to be world class both on and off the pitch. When they took over, the first thing Tom and George wanted to do was review the stadium both in terms of the design and the capacity. This is the immensely impressive result of their deliberations.
"We're creating a stadium that not only the Club and supporters can be proud of, but something the whole city can be proud of. Liverpool as a city is on the move and deserves world class developments like this.
"Our architects HKS have a wealth of experience and have fused a very contemporary and unique vision together with the values that are crucial to Liverpool Football Club. A critical design consideration was to ensure the stadium sat naturally within its park environment, complementing its surroundings and a huge amount of work has been done to ensure this happens. The stadium is a massive investment in North Liverpool and a key driver in the regeneration of the whole area.
"The asymmetric design sets it apart from other new stadia, as it is a clear move away from what is becoming the traditional bowl model. It recognises and makes reference to the fact that English football grounds were historically asymmetric. We make no apologies for that, we've gone out of our way to embrace that culture and it works
exceptionally well for both the new ground and its location within Stanley Park. This new design will be unmistakably Liverpool and instantly recognisable as our stadium.
"We've also recognised the central importance of the Kop. It will have a significantly increased capacity of 18,000 seats in a single tier structure that will be the heartbeat of the new stadium. The rake of the stand will be steeper and the seats tighter together, with the acoustics of the roof designed to accentuate the atmosphere during games."
Steven Gerrard said: "To be honest I knew it was going to be great but after spending five minutes looking at the plans I was just completely blown away by it. We are Liverpool Football Club and we expect the best and this will be the best. I've played in some special stadiums but this is something special and it's so important that we are not seen to be copying off another club."
Jamie Carragher added: "Everyone is excited by the new plans. They are spectacular. We've got a great stadium at the minute in Anfield, but the designers have come up with something completely unique. I've never seen a football ground like it and that's what makes it so special."
Rafa Benitez added his voice of support to the new stadium design: "The facilities the new stadium will provide are going to ensure that the future of this club is a great one and this is what our fans deserve."
Rick Parry continued: "Having thoroughly addressed the environmental and transportation issues, we already have consent for a 60,000 seat stadium which is why we have submitted the new design with that capacity. This is the most straightforward way of delivering what are radical new designs as our aspiration has always been to have the stadium ready for 2010, which means beginning work on site as soon as possible.
"But we make no secret of the fact that we want a greater capacity and will consider putting in a second planning application when appropriate. However, we fully recognise for this to happen that all the associated transport requirements need to be in place. To increase the capacity above 60,000 we need a further step change in our
approach which is why we, together with Liverpool City Council and Merseytravel, are investigating the possibility of reopening the Bootle Branch railway line for passenger use. That would be a fantastic solution, not just for the Club, but for all the people of North Liverpool."
Xabi Alonso concluded by saying: "Liverpool is famous for the atmosphere generated by its fans and from looking at the pictures I'm sure the new stadium will be just as atmospheric, if not more so. Anfield is really special, we all know that, but the new stadium will be a great one and I'm looking forward to playing there."
The new ground will also incorporate dedicated facilities for the Anfield Sport and Community Centre and Liverpool Hope University and external facilities will include tennis courts and new multi-use games area.
The unique asymmetrical design, with a huge 18,000 seat single-tier Kop at its heart, has been developed as part of the overall regeneration of Stanley Park. The West side is concave in form effectively embracing the park and providing changing facilities for those young amateur players and their parents who use the existing pitches which will be retained within the park.
The North and East facades take a convex form respectively overlooking Priory Road and Utting Avenue across gardens which will be developed in the tradition of Stanley Park. The South facade will be of completely different form, taking on a more formal appearance appropriate to its civic function at the northern edge to the new Anfield Plaza development which will replace the current ground.
The stadium will have a stone work base on the North, West and East sides with mainly glass facades above. The South side will be clad in metal and overlook the Plaza. One striking feature will see the South East and South West corners of the stadium visually open, providing views from the park deep into its heart.
Rick Parry Talks About The New Stadium
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