No final decisions have been taken by Fenway Sports Group about future stadium options for Liverpool. The review started last October is still going on. Liverpool City Council has given the club another three months to decide whether to take a 999-year lease on the Stanley Park site. However, the council wants a decision by late September and it looks increasingly likely that the club will decide to leave Anfield because of the prohibitive costs of re-developing there, ending John W.
No final decisions have been taken by Fenway Sports Group about future stadium options for Liverpool. The review started last October is still going on. Liverpool City Council has given the club another three months to decide whether to take a 999-year lease on the Stanley Park site. However, the council wants a decision by late September and it looks increasingly likely that the club will decide to leave Anfield because of the prohibitive costs of re-developing there, ending John W. Henry’s hopes of replicating the sympathetic restoration of Fenway Park, the historic home of the Boston Red Sox.
One of the key considerations for Liverpool is whether it can find a naming rights partner for a new stadum and time is running out to secure a deal. This was shown into sharp relief when it became known that Manchester City will today announce a deal with Etihad, the national airline of United Arab Emirates. Goodness knows how that will be pronounced by fans, but the City deal is estimated to be worth £10m-£15m a year.
It seems likely that the global financial crisis may reduce the cost of building the Stanley Park stadium by 15 per cent because there is more intense competition for major contracts. The estimated cost could well reduce from £310m to around £264m.
As well as looking at the plans submitted by Dallas-based architect HKS, the club is also looking again at the plans of Manchester-based architect AFL. Tom Hicks did not consider this set of plans in 2008 even though they had the backing of the chief executive at the time, Rick Parry. Both proposals have planning permission from Liverpool council.