Anfield

History

The stadium is named after the surrounding area, Anfield. The word originated in the combination of Old and Middle English words, which mean "a field on a slope". Anfield, and its deviations, has been associated with the area since at least 1642. It has been suggested that the name is linked to the influx of Irish people into the spreading city in the 1850s, and was associated with Annefield, outside New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland.

Opened in 1884, Anfield was originally owned by John Orrell, a minor landowner who was a friend of Everton member John Houlding. Everton, who previously played at Priory Road, needed a new venue owing to the noise produced by the crowd on match days. Orrell lent the pitch to the club in exchange for a small 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 became Anfield's first league champions in the 1890–91 season.

In 1892, negotiations to purchase the land at Anfield from Orrell escalated into a dispute between Houlding and the Everton committee over how the club was run. Events culminated in Everton's move to Goodison Park. Houlding was left with an empty stadium and decided to form a new club to occupy it. The new team was called Liverpool F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd, and the club's first match at Anfield was a friendly played in front of 200 people on 1 September 1892, against Rotherham Town. Liverpool won 7–1.

Liverpool's first Football League match at Anfield was played on 9 September 1893, against Lincoln City. Liverpool won 4–0 in front of 5,000 spectators. A new stand capable of holding 3,000 spectators was constructed in 1895 on the site of the present Main Stand. Designed by architect Archibald Leitch, the stand had a distinctive red and white gable, and was similar to the main stand at Newcastle United's ground St James' Park. Another stand was constructed at the Anfield Road end in 1903, built from timber and corrugated iron. After Liverpool had won their second League championship in 1906, a new stand was built along the Walton Breck Road. Local journalist Ernest Edwards, who was the sports editor of newspapers the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo, named it the Spion Kop; it was named after a famous hill in South Africa where a local regiment had suffered heavy losses during the Boer War in 1900. More than 300 men had died, many of them from Liverpool, as the British army attempted to capture the strategic hilltop. Around the same period, a stand was also built along Kemlyn Road.

Structures and facilities

Anfield has 60,725 seats split between four stands: the Anfield Road end, the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, the Kop, and the Main Stand. The Anfield Road end and Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand are two-tiered, while the Kop is single-tiered and the Main Stand three-tiered. Entry to the stadium is gained by radio-frequency identification (RFID) smart cards rather than the traditional staffed 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 single-tiered with no executive boxes. The Kop houses the club's museum, the Reducate centre. The Kop is the most-renowned stand at Anfield among home and away supporters, with the people who occupy the stand referred to as kopites. Such is the reputation of the stand that it was claimed that the crowd in the Kop could suck the ball into the goal. Traditionally, Liverpool's most vocal supporters congregate in this stand. The Kop, which BBC Sport calls "one of the most famous ends of a stadium in world football", is the end where Liverpool traditionally attack towards in the second half of games.

The oldest stand at Anfield is the Main Stand. The stand was completed in 2016; however, the lower section dates from 1906. The bottom tier of the stand houses the directors' box. The directors' VIP box is located at the rear of the lower tier of the stand. The old, large roof was supported by two thin central uprights, with a large suspended television camera gantry that had moved to the front of the third tier. 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 leading down to the pitch hung a sign stating "THIS IS ANFIELD". Installed by Shankly, its purpose was to both intimidate the opposition and to bring the Liverpool players who touch it good luck. Liverpool players and coaching staff traditionally reached up and placed one or both hands on it as they passed underneath.

The sign was temporarily removed during the most recent reconstruction of the Main Stand; it was placed at the exit from the new Main Stand tunnel to the pitch in advance of Liverpool's 2016–17 home opener. Then-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp had banned players from touching the restored sign until the team had won at least one major trophy. After winning the 2019 UEFA Champions League final his players were allowed to do so again.

Redevelopment

Abandoned new stadium plans

Plans to replace Anfield were originally started by Liverpool in May 2002. The proposed capacity was 55,000, but it was later changed to 61,000, with 1,000 seats given for segregation between home and away fans. Several attempts were made between 2003 and 2007 by the Liverpool City Council to instigate a groundshare of the proposed stadium with local rivals Everton, but this move was rejected, as neither club favoured it. On 30 July 2004 Liverpool was granted planning permission to build a new stadium 300 yards (270 m) away from Anfield at Stanley Park. On 8 September 2006, Liverpool City Council agreed to grant the club a 999-year lease of the land on the proposed site.

Following the takeover of Liverpool on 6 February 2007 by George Gillett and Tom Hicks, the proposed stadium was redesigned. In November 2007, the redesigned layout was approved by the council, and construction was due to start in early 2008. The new stadium, provisionally called Stanley Park Stadium, was to be built by HKS. It was scheduled to open in August 2011 with a capacity of 60,000. If the new stadium had been built, Anfield would have been demolished. The land would have become home to the centrepiece for the Anfield Plaza development, which would have included a hotel, restaurants and offices. However, the construction of Stanley Park was delayed following the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession, which directly affected the then American owners. The situation was worsened because the club was bought with borrowed money, not the owners' capital, and interest rates were higher than expected. Hicks and Gillett promised to begin work on the stadium within 60 days of acquisition of the club, but had trouble financing the estimated £500 million needed for the Stanley Park development. The deadline passed and the plan was eventually cancelled by the Fenway Sports Group, as their preference was to re-develop Anfield.

Anfield redevelopment

The acquisition of Liverpool by Fenway Sports Group in October 2010 put into question whether Liverpool would leave Anfield. In February 2011, the new club owner, John W. Henry, stated he had a preference for staying at Anfield and expanding the capacity. After attending a number of games at Anfield, Henry stated that "the Kop is unrivalled", adding "it would be hard to replicate that feeling anywhere else".

On 15 October 2012, Liverpool City Council announced plans to regenerate the Anfield area after securing a £25m grant, with a housing association also set to invest.

Anfield was listed as an Asset of Community Value by Liverpool City Council on 23 August 2013. On 11 September, current owner John W. Henry announced that they had the funds to afford the expansion, but they were waiting for the City Council to finalise the purchase of houses in the area before they commit to plans to expand the Main Stand and the Anfield Road end of the ground.

In April 2014, Liverpool signed a legal agreement with Liverpool City Council and Your Housing Group to redevelop the surrounding Anfield area. This was seen as a significant step towards the renovation of the stadium. The redevelopment was worth around £260 million.

In April 2014, Liverpool revealed plans for an expansion of the Main Stand, which involved adding a new third tier, new matchday facilities and enhanced corporate facilities. The new stand would add 8,500 seats and take the capacity of the stadium to 54,742. Construction of the new Main Stand was made possible by the complete demolition of all the houses in Lothair Road as well as some of those on neighbouring Alroy Road and Anfield Road. Liverpool had started to purchase housing immediately surrounding Anfield in 2000. The houses were left empty, including at least 22 in the roads backing onto the main stand. Liverpool were accused of deliberately allowing the area to become blighted, thus depressing the property prices.

Work began on 8 December 2014, with the club aiming for the new stand to be match-ready and operational for the start of the 2016–17 season. The work was undertaken by Carillion. The structure of the new stand was constructed around the existing main stand to enable the existing stand to continue to be used at full operational capacity during the 2015–16 season. Demolition of the existing stand took place in summer 2016, allowing for the construction of the lower tiers of the new stand during the off-season. Consisting of 1.8 million bricks and blocks and over 5000 tonnes of steel, the stand was opened on schedule on 9 September 2016 for the first home game of the 2016–17 season, a 4–1 victory over Leicester City. Further internal construction work, including new changing rooms and media facilities, continued until April 2017.

Other uses

International football and Liverpool Women

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. 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. Anfield has also played host to five FA Cup semi-finals, the last of which was in 1929. The most recent international to be hosted at Anfield was England's 2–1 victory over Uruguay on 1 March 2006. The close proximity of the stands to the pitch prevents the club from extending the pitch to meet UEFA's required length, 105m by 68m (114 yards by 74). The pitch at Anfield is 101 metres (110 yd). Since 2006, the stadium has been ineligible to host England games, Champions League and Europa League finals, and UEFA tournaments (UEFA Euro 2028).

On 14 February 1921, Scouse comedian Harry Weldon invited Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. to Anfield to compete in a match between themselves and a side made up of the best players from the rest of Britain, for The Harry Weldon Cup in aid of unemployed ex-servicemen. Weldon's side was made up of the best individual players from teams throughout the UK, with one player travelling from the island of Unst in the Shetland Isles. 25,000 fans were in attendance that day as Dick, Kerr Ladies went on to win 9–1. The trophy is now on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester.

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. 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.

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 Women and local rivals Everton Women. 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 was the 7th highest of the 2022–23 season. The women's team won at Anfield for the first time on 14 March 2025, beating Manchester United 3–1.

Rugby league

The stadium has hosted five rugby league matches: the 1989 Charity Shield between Widnes and Wigan, the 1991 World Club Challenge between Wigan, winners of the RFL Championship, and Penrith Panthers, winners of the Australian NSWRL Premiership, with an attendance of 20,152; a 1997 St. Helens Super League home game against Castleford Tigers, with an attendance of 12,329; and the 2016 Rugby League Four Nations Final, in front of 40,042 people.

Anfield was chosen as the venue for the 2019 Magic Weekend after two test matches were played there in 2016 and 2018. After previously choosing games that were local derbies or competitive games, in 2019, the fixtures were determined by the previous season's league position.

Other sports

Anfield has been the venue for many other events. During the mid-twenties, Anfield was the finishing line for the city marathon. Liverpool held an annual race that started from St George's Plateau in the city centre and finished with a lap of Anfield. Boxing matches were regularly held at Anfield during the inter-war years, including several British boxing championships; on 12 June 1934, Nel Tarleton beat Freddie Miller for the World Featherweight title. Professional tennis was played at Anfield on boards on the pitch. US Open champion, Bill Tilden, and Wimbledon champion, Fred Perry, entertained the crowds in an exhibition match. In 1958, an exhibition basketball match featuring the Harlem Globetrotters was held at the ground.

Non sporting events

Aside from sporting uses, Anfield has been a venue for musicians of different genres as well as evangelical preachers. One week in July 1984, the American evangelist Billy Graham preached at Anfield, attracting crowds of over 30,000 each night. Anfield was featured in Liverpool's 2008 European Capital of Culture celebrations: 36,000 people attended a concert on 1 June 2008, featuring the Zutons, Kaiser Chiefs and Paul McCartney. Live concerts made a return to Anfield in the summer of 2019, with Take That, Bon Jovi and Pink performing. Take That lead singer Gary Barlow, a Liverpool fan, brought out a guest vocalist, Gerry Marsden, and they sang the club's anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone". Artists who played at the stadium in summer 2022 include Elton John, the Rolling Stones and the Eagles. Taylor Swift played three consecutive dates at Anfield, featuring Paramore as special guests, in June 2024 as part of her Eras Tour. Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey and Bruce Springsteen performed at the stadium in 2025.

Records

The highest sporting attendance recorded at Anfield is 61,905, for Liverpool's match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup fifth round, on 2 February 1952. Liverpool's record league attendance is 60,466 against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 27 December 2025. The highest non-sporting attendance at Anfield was recorded during a Taylor Swift concert in June 2024, with over 62,000 in attendance. The lowest attendance recorded at Anfield was 1,000 for a match against Loughborough on 7 December 1895. The highest average attendance of 53,112 was set for the 2016–17 season.

Liverpool did not lose a league match at Anfield during the 1893–94, 1970–71, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1987–88, 2008–09, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2021–22 seasons. Liverpool's longest unbeaten streak at home extended from January 1978 to January 1981, a period encompassing 85 games, in which Liverpool scored 212 goals and conceded 35. The club's longest unbeaten home run in the league is 68 games, which occurred from April 2017 to January 2021. Liverpool's worst losing streak at Anfield is six games in 2020–2021 with games played behind closed doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most consecutive league wins at Anfield is 24, this is the longest run in English top-flight history. It was accomplished across the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons.

Transport

The stadium is about 2 miles (3 km) from Lime Street Station, 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, changing to the Peoplesbus Soccerbus service at Sandhills Station on the Merseyrail Northern Line. The stadium has no parking facilities for supporters. 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).