Anfield

Anfield is a soccer and football stadium in Liverpool, Merseyside, England and is the seventh largest soccer / football stadium in England. This stadium was also home to Liverpool F.C. from 1892 till present and the former home to Everton FC (1884-1892).

It was established in 1884 and has hosted leagues and international soccer events such as UEFA Euro 1996 and other sporting events as World Featherweight Title (1934), 1991 World Club Challenge, Super League II,  2016 Rugby League Four Nations final and much more. The stadium got constructed according to international standards.

 Apart from football matches, this multi-functional stadium has also hosted live concerts of celebrities such as the Kaiser Chiefs, the Zutons, and Paul McCartney.

History of Stadium

The Anfield word is derived from Old and Middle English words that mean “a field on a slope”. The name supposedly suggested being derived after the influx of Irish people in 1850. Anfield opened in 1884 which was initially owned by John Orrell, a friend of John Houlding, the founder of Liverpool F.C.

John Houlding was also a member of Everton F.C. before forming the Liverpool. F.C. John Orell rented the stadium to the Everton F.C. in exchange for a small rent.

In 1889, it hosted the British Home Championship match between England and Ireland. Later on, in September 1888, Anfield’s first league match was played between Everton FC and Accrington FC, and the home team (Everton FC) became the first league champion of Anfield in the 1890-91 seasons.

When Everton F.C. shifted themselves to Goodison Park in 1892, John Houlding decided to create his own football club, known as Liverpool F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd., at present known as Liverpool F.C. The first match after Liverpool FC became the home team of Anfield Stadium, a friendly match between Liverpool FC and Rotherham Town FC took place on 1^st September 1892 in front of 200 people.

Construction

A bronze statue of former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly was erected at the entrance of one of the stands.

The Anfield Road end and Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand both are two-tiered, while the Kop is single tiered and the Main Stand is three-tiered. The Kop is the most-renowned stand at Anfield among home and away supporters, with the people who occupied the stand referred to as kopites.

In 1895 new stand was constructed for holding 3,000 more audiences. Architect, Archibald Keir Leitch, had designed the stand that had a distinctive red and white gable. He was famous for preparing architecture designs for many football stadiums in Great Britain.

The stadium comprises of 53,394 seats that are divided between four stands: Main Stand, the Anfield Road end, the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand and the Kop.

• The Kop – It is a South-West facing end stand that holds 12,390 people. It was named Spion Kop after the famous battle of the Boer War.
• The Anfield Road End –It is a North-East facing end stand holding 9,116 people including away fans.
• Main Stand – It was redeveloped for the 2016/17 season adding a second tier and 8,500 new seats. The stand faces towards the North-West and contains the dugout, tunnel and dressing rooms as well as some new executive areas, hospitality and corporate seating.
• Kenny Dalglish Stand –It is a South-East facing side stand including hospitality suites and executive boxes. It holds 11,411 people and was renamed from the Kemlyn Road stand in 1992 to celebrate the clubs centenary and then again ahead of the 2017-2018 seasons in recognition of the club's former player and manager Kenny Dalglish.

Moreover, the redevelopment of Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium is expected to be ready in time for the 2023-24 seasons. The plans to increase the capacity of the stadium to 61,000 by adding 7,000 seats to the Anfield Road Stand were backed by councilors in June 2021.

Significance

• In 1884, this stadium was constructed and maintained by Liverpool Football Club.
• Anfield stadium is categorized as UEFA category four stadium.
• In 1884, the stadium hosted its first match between Everton and Earlestown, in which Everton won.
• In September 1893, it hosted Liverpool's first Football League match against Lincoln City.
• In 1952, it recorded its highest attendance for a match between Liverpool's and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup.
• In 1994 converted the ground to an all-seater stadium which significantly reduced its capacity.
• The 2014 extension of the Main Stand increased the stadium's capacity, making it one of the largest all-seater single football stadiums stand in Europe.
• In 1996 UEFA European Championship took place.
• The first International Match was held in 1889 between England and Ireland in Anfield.
• The most recent international match was between England and Uruguay in March 2006.
• Anfield stadium has hosted about five rugby matches.
• In 2008 Liverpool’s Anfield was included in the European Capital of Culture.