Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England with a seating capacity of 45,276. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park. The ground is 2 miles (3 km) from Lime Street Station and has hosted numerous England internationals at senior level and was also used as a venue during Euro 96. The ground is due to host matches during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, with pool matches taking place at the stadium.
Over the course of its history the stadium has gone through various stages of renovation and development resulting in the current stand configuration of the Spion Kop, Main Stand, Centenary Stand and Anfield Road. The record attendance at the stadium is 61,905 which was set in a match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1952. This record was set prior to the ground's conversion to an all-seater stadium in 1994; the changes, which were a result of the Taylor Report, greatly reduced capacity. Notable features of the stadium include two gates named after former Liverpool managers: the Bob Paisley gate and the Bill Shankly gate. In addition, a statue of Shankly is situated outside the stadium. Anfield's public transport links include rail and bus services but it lacks dedicated parking facilities.
There are plans to replace Anfield with a new 60,000 capacity stadium in adjacent Stanley Park. The stadium was initially planned in May 2002 with a provisional opening date of August 2005, but subsequent problems with securing funding for the project as well as the state of the financial market since 2008, combined with disagreement between the club's American co-owners makes it certain as of 2010 that football will continue to be played at Anfield for at least a few more years.
Opened in 1884, Anfield was originally owned by a Mr. Orrell, who was a friend of the president of Everton F.C., John Houlding. Everton, who previously played at Priory Road, were in need of a new venue, due to the noise produced from the crowd on match-days. Orrell let the land to the club for a donation to the local hospital. Everton's landlord changed when John Houlding purchased the land from Orrell in 1885 charging direct rent. The first match at the ground was between Everton and Earlestown on 28 September 1884, which Everton won 5–0. During Everton's tenure at the stadium, stands were erected for some of the 8,000 plus spectators regularly attending matches, although the ground was capable of holding around 20,000 spectators and occasionally did. The ground was considered of international standard at the time, playing host to the British Home Championship match between England and Ireland in 1889. Anfield's first league match was played on 8 September 1888, between Everton and Accrington F.C. Everton quickly improved as a team and three years later in the 1890–91 season became Anfield's first league champions.
On 4 December 1997, a statue of Bill Shankly, created from bronze, was unveiled at the visitors' centre in front of the Kop. Standing at over 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, the statue depicts Shankly wearing a fan's scarf around his neck, in a familiar pose he adopted when receiving applause from fans. Inscribed on the statue are the words: "Bill Shankly – He Made the People Happy". The Hillsborough memorial is situated alongside the Shankly Gates, and is always decorated with flowers and tributes to the 96 people who died as a result of the disaster. At the centre of the memorial is an eternal flame, signifying that those who died will never be forgotten. The most recent change to Anfield came in 1998 when the new two-tier Anfield Road end was opened. The stand has however encountered a number of problems since its redevelopment. At the beginning of the 1999–2000 season a series of support poles and stanchions had to be brought in to give extra stability to the top tier of the stand. During Ronnie Moran's testimonial against Celtic many fans complained of movement of the top tier. At the same time that the stanchions were inserted the executive seating area was expanded by two rows in the main stand, lowering the capacity for seating in the paddock.
Anfield comprises 45,276 seats split between four stands. These four stands are the Anfield Road end, the Centenary Stand, the Kop and the Main Stand. The Anfield Road end and Centenary Stand are two-tiered, while the Kop and Main Stand are single-tiered. Entry to the stadium is gained by radio-frequency identification (RFID) smart cards rather than the traditional manned turnstile. This system, used in all 80 turnstiles around Anfield, was introduced in 2005.
The Kop is a large single-tiered stand. Originally a large terraced banking providing accommodation for more than 30,000 spectators, the current incarnation was constructed in 1994–95 and is still single-tiered with no executive boxes. The Kop houses the club's museum, the Reduc@ate centre and the official club shop. The Kop is the most renowned stand at Anfield amongst home and away supporters with the people who occupy the stand referred to as kopites. Traditionally, Liverpool's most vocal supporters congregate in the stand.
The oldest stand at Anfield is the Main Stand which was completed in 1982 and houses the dressing rooms and the directors box. It is a single-tiered stand with the press and directors VIP box located in the middle of the stand. The large roof is supported by two thin central uprights, with a large suspended television camera gantry. The players' tunnel and the technical area where the managers and substitutes sit during the match are in the middle of the stand at pitch level. Above the stairs that lead down to the pitch hangs a sign stating "THIS IS ANFIELD". Its purpose is to both intimidate the opposition and to bring those who touch it good luck. Accordingly, Liverpool players and coaching staff reach up and place one or both hands on it as they pass underneath.
The stadium also features tributes to two of the club's most successful managers: the Paisley Gateway, in tribute of Bob Paisley, who guided Liverpool to three European Cups and six League Championships in the 1970s and 80s. They were erected at the Kop, their design includes the three European Cups Paisley won during his tenure, the crest of his birthplace in Hetton-le-Hole, and that of Liverpool F.C. There is also the Shankly Gates, in tribute of Bill Shankly, Paisley's predecessor between 1959 and 1974. Erected at the Anfield Road end, their design includes a Scottish flag, a Scottish thistle, the Liverpool badge and the words "You'll Never Walk Alone".
The highest attendance recorded at Anfield is 61,905 for Liverpool's match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup fifth round on 2 February 1952. The record modern (all-seated) attendance is 44,983 for a match against Tottenham Hotspur on 14 January 2006. The lowest attendance recorded at Anfield was 1,000 for a match against Loughborough on 7 December 1895. The highest average attendance at Anfield over a league season was 48,127, set in the 1972–73 season. The lowest average attendance at Anfield was 29,608, set in the 1960–61 season, whilst the team was in the Second Division. The highest total seasonal attendance was recorded during the 2000–01 season when the aggregate was 1,328,482.
Over the course of its history the stadium has gone through various stages of renovation and development resulting in the current stand configuration of the Spion Kop, Main Stand, Centenary Stand and Anfield Road. The record attendance at the stadium is 61,905 which was set in a match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1952. This record was set prior to the ground's conversion to an all-seater stadium in 1994; the changes, which were a result of the Taylor Report, greatly reduced capacity. Notable features of the stadium include two gates named after former Liverpool managers: the Bob Paisley gate and the Bill Shankly gate. In addition, a statue of Shankly is situated outside the stadium. Anfield's public transport links include rail and bus services but it lacks dedicated parking facilities.
There are plans to replace Anfield with a new 60,000 capacity stadium in adjacent Stanley Park. The stadium was initially planned in May 2002 with a provisional opening date of August 2005, but subsequent problems with securing funding for the project as well as the state of the financial market since 2008, combined with disagreement between the club's American co-owners makes it certain as of 2010 that football will continue to be played at Anfield for at least a few more years.
Opened in 1884, Anfield was originally owned by a Mr. Orrell, who was a friend of the president of Everton F.C., John Houlding. Everton, who previously played at Priory Road, were in need of a new venue, due to the noise produced from the crowd on match-days. Orrell let the land to the club for a donation to the local hospital. Everton's landlord changed when John Houlding purchased the land from Orrell in 1885 charging direct rent. The first match at the ground was between Everton and Earlestown on 28 September 1884, which Everton won 5–0. During Everton's tenure at the stadium, stands were erected for some of the 8,000 plus spectators regularly attending matches, although the ground was capable of holding around 20,000 spectators and occasionally did. The ground was considered of international standard at the time, playing host to the British Home Championship match between England and Ireland in 1889. Anfield's first league match was played on 8 September 1888, between Everton and Accrington F.C. Everton quickly improved as a team and three years later in the 1890–91 season became Anfield's first league champions.
On 4 December 1997, a statue of Bill Shankly, created from bronze, was unveiled at the visitors' centre in front of the Kop. Standing at over 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, the statue depicts Shankly wearing a fan's scarf around his neck, in a familiar pose he adopted when receiving applause from fans. Inscribed on the statue are the words: "Bill Shankly – He Made the People Happy". The Hillsborough memorial is situated alongside the Shankly Gates, and is always decorated with flowers and tributes to the 96 people who died as a result of the disaster. At the centre of the memorial is an eternal flame, signifying that those who died will never be forgotten. The most recent change to Anfield came in 1998 when the new two-tier Anfield Road end was opened. The stand has however encountered a number of problems since its redevelopment. At the beginning of the 1999–2000 season a series of support poles and stanchions had to be brought in to give extra stability to the top tier of the stand. During Ronnie Moran's testimonial against Celtic many fans complained of movement of the top tier. At the same time that the stanchions were inserted the executive seating area was expanded by two rows in the main stand, lowering the capacity for seating in the paddock.
Anfield comprises 45,276 seats split between four stands. These four stands are the Anfield Road end, the Centenary Stand, the Kop and the Main Stand. The Anfield Road end and Centenary Stand are two-tiered, while the Kop and Main Stand are single-tiered. Entry to the stadium is gained by radio-frequency identification (RFID) smart cards rather than the traditional manned turnstile. This system, used in all 80 turnstiles around Anfield, was introduced in 2005.
The Kop is a large single-tiered stand. Originally a large terraced banking providing accommodation for more than 30,000 spectators, the current incarnation was constructed in 1994–95 and is still single-tiered with no executive boxes. The Kop houses the club's museum, the Reduc@ate centre and the official club shop. The Kop is the most renowned stand at Anfield amongst home and away supporters with the people who occupy the stand referred to as kopites. Traditionally, Liverpool's most vocal supporters congregate in the stand.
The oldest stand at Anfield is the Main Stand which was completed in 1982 and houses the dressing rooms and the directors box. It is a single-tiered stand with the press and directors VIP box located in the middle of the stand. The large roof is supported by two thin central uprights, with a large suspended television camera gantry. The players' tunnel and the technical area where the managers and substitutes sit during the match are in the middle of the stand at pitch level. Above the stairs that lead down to the pitch hangs a sign stating "THIS IS ANFIELD". Its purpose is to both intimidate the opposition and to bring those who touch it good luck. Accordingly, Liverpool players and coaching staff reach up and place one or both hands on it as they pass underneath.
The stadium also features tributes to two of the club's most successful managers: the Paisley Gateway, in tribute of Bob Paisley, who guided Liverpool to three European Cups and six League Championships in the 1970s and 80s. They were erected at the Kop, their design includes the three European Cups Paisley won during his tenure, the crest of his birthplace in Hetton-le-Hole, and that of Liverpool F.C. There is also the Shankly Gates, in tribute of Bill Shankly, Paisley's predecessor between 1959 and 1974. Erected at the Anfield Road end, their design includes a Scottish flag, a Scottish thistle, the Liverpool badge and the words "You'll Never Walk Alone".
The highest attendance recorded at Anfield is 61,905 for Liverpool's match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup fifth round on 2 February 1952. The record modern (all-seated) attendance is 44,983 for a match against Tottenham Hotspur on 14 January 2006. The lowest attendance recorded at Anfield was 1,000 for a match against Loughborough on 7 December 1895. The highest average attendance at Anfield over a league season was 48,127, set in the 1972–73 season. The lowest average attendance at Anfield was 29,608, set in the 1960–61 season, whilst the team was in the Second Division. The highest total seasonal attendance was recorded during the 2000–01 season when the aggregate was 1,328,482.