Liverpool will retain their famous Kop end when they move into a new 60,000-seater stadium in the city's Stanley Park in 2010.
Computer-generated images of the new stadium were revealed by
the Premier League club today with a steeply banked, 18,000
capacity Kop end an integral part of a design which veers away from
the bowl-like appearance of many new grounds.
An official planning application has been submitted to
Liverpool City Council for the £300 million (€450m
approx) development in the north of the city.
Moving from the club's spiritual Anfield home is an emotive
subject for fans of the five-times European champions, but chief
executive Rick Parry said the new Kop end would become the
"heartbeat" of the four-sided stadium.
"We've always recognised the central importance of the Kop,"
Parry said in a statement. "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."
European nights at Anfield are one of the most colourful sights
in British football. The current Kop end becomes a sea of red
banners while thousands bellow out the club's anthem "You'll Never
Walk Alone".
Many Premier League clubs have abandoned their historic roots
for new stadiums with Arsenal being the latest example, leaving
their Victorian Highbury stadium in 2006 for the bowl-like Emirates
complex just down the road.
Liverpool's current Anfield capacity of 45,000 is deemed
insufficient to compete with the likes of Manchester United
(76,000) and Arsenal (60,000) while the likes of Newcastle United
also have much bigger stadiums.
Club captain Steven Gerrard said keeping the Kop was vital.
"The fact that a massive Kop end in incorporated in the the
new stadium is great," he said. "I was completely blown away by the
plans. I've played in some great stadiums but this is something
special."
Stadium designers, American-based architects HKS, have been
involved in many sports arenas including the Dodger Stadium in Los
Angeles and the new venue for Super Bowl champions the Indianapolis
Colts.