Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has a seating capacity of 60,725 making it the fifth largest football stadium in England.[4] It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. It was originally the home of Everton from 1884 to 1891, before they moved to Goodison Park after a dispute with the club president.[5]
This article is about the football stadium. For the area of Liverpool in which the stadium is located, see Anfield (suburb). For other uses, see Anfield (disambiguation).Full name
Anfield
64
60,725[2]
61,905 (Liverpool–Wolverhampton Wanderers, 2 February 1952)
101 by 68 metres (110.5 yd × 74.4 yd)[3]
1884
1884
1895, 1903, 1906, 1928, 1957, 1963, 1973, 1982, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2014–2016, 2021–2023
The stadium has four stands: the Spion Kop, the Main Stand, the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand and the Anfield Road End.[6] The record attendance of 61,905 was set at a match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1952.[7] The ground converted to an all-seater stadium in 1994 as a result of the Taylor Report, which reduced its capacity.
Two gates at the stadium are named after former Liverpool managers: Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley. Both managers have been honoured with statues outside the stadium: Shankly's unveiled in 1997 by the Kop Stand and Paisley's in 2020 by the Main Stand. The ground is 2 miles (3 km) from Liverpool Lime Street railway station.
It was proposed in 2002 for the club to relocate to a new stadium in the adjacent Stanley Park, but after the acquisition of Liverpool F.C. by Fenway Sports Group in 2010 it was made clear this would not happen, with the decision being taken to expand Anfield instead. Construction for an extension to the main stand began on 8 December 2014.[8] This extension, one of the largest all-seater single stands in European football, opened to the public on 9 September 2016, increasing the stadium capacity to 54,074.[9] The Anfield Road Stand is in the final stages of redevelopment as of March 2024 and will bring the stadium capacity to over 61,000.
Other uses[edit]
International football and Liverpool FC Women[edit]
Anfield has hosted numerous international matches, and was one of the venues used during UEFA Euro 1996; the ground hosted three group games and a quarter-final.[99] The first international match hosted at Anfield was between England and Ireland, in 1889. England won the match 6–1. Anfield was also the home venue for several of England's international football matches in the early 1900s, and for the Welsh national team in the later part of that century.[100][101] Anfield has also played host to five FA Cup semi-finals, the last of which was in 1929.[100] The most recent international to be hosted at Anfield was England's 2–1 victory over Uruguay on 1 March 2006.[102] The close proximity of the stands to the pitch prevents the club from extending the pitch to suit UEFA's parameter requirements; since 2006, the stadium has been ineligible to host England games, Champions League and Europa League finals, and UEFA tournaments (UEFA Euro 2028).[103]
England has played two testimonial matches against Liverpool at Anfield. The first was in 1983, when England faced Liverpool for Phil Thompson's testimonial. Then, in 1988, England visited again for Alan Hansen's testimonial.[104] Liverpool's arch rival Manchester United played their first home game of the 1971–72 season at Anfield as they were banned from playing their first two home league matches at Old Trafford after an incident of hooliganism. United beat Arsenal 3–1.[105]
In November 2019, Anfield hosted a Women's Super League fixture for the first time, with the 6th matchday of the 2019–20 season featuring the Merseyside Derby between Liverpool FC Women and local rivals Everton FC Women.[106] On 25 September 2022, Anfield played host to second Merseyside Derby between two women's first teams in the Women's Super League. Played before a record attendance of 27,574 for a Liverpool game for their women’s first team, it was also the first women's Merseyside Derby to be televised. This attendance would go on to become the 7th highest attendance of the 2022–23 season.[107] On 22 August 2023, it was announced that Anfield will host a third women's Merseyside Derby on 15 October 2023.[108]
Transport[edit]
The stadium is about 2 miles (3 km) from Lime Street Station,[124] which lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston. Kirkdale Station, about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the stadium, is the nearest station to Anfield. Fans travelling by train for matches may book direct to Anfield or Goodison Park, changing to the Peoplesbus Soccerbus service at Sandhills Station on the Merseyrail Northern Line.[125] The stadium has no parking facilities for supporters, and the streets around the ground allow parking only for residents with permits, although there are a small number of passes that can be allocated to over-65s. There are proposals under consideration for reinstating passenger traffic on the Bootle Branch, which would cut the distance from the nearest railway station to about 0.5 miles (1 km).[126]
53°25′51″N 2°57′39″W / 53.43083°N 2.96083°W
Media related to Anfield Stadium at Wikimedia Commons