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Fears about Anfield Road’s capacity surface after Liverpool fans sent a worrying message before Newcastle
Concerns about Anfield’s overall capacity are growing as the team expresses these worries to fans before Newcastle United’s visit.

Share 19 by Paul Gorst, Liverpool FC correspondent; updated on December 31, 2023, 11:07, 11:09, Bookmark

Before Liverpool’s Premier League match against Manchester United at Anfield on December 17, supporters take their seats in the new Anfield Road stand tiers. Image courtesy of Getty Images and Paul Ellis/AFP

If fans continue to stand during games, Liverpool fears that the new Anfield Road stand will have to operate at a reduced capacity.

On December 17, the stand was officially open to supporters of Manchester United. 57,000 fans attended the goalless draw between Erik ten Hag’s team and the Reds, marking the largest attendance at Anfield in 50 years.

Ever since, the Reds have advanced farther in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals, defeating West Ham United 5-1, and on December 23, held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League. All three of those games were hampered by fans who continued to stand in an area of the stadium that was not intended for them.

Before approving the installation of rail seating in those areas of the stadium in August, Liverpool tested a safe-standing area on the Kop and in the lower end of the Anfield Road more than two years ago. This allowed 13,000 fans to stand during games moving forward.

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Prior to the 2021–2022 season, the Reds installed 7,800 rail seats. During the World Cup break in November and December of the previous season, they added an additional 2,500 seats. An extra 3,000 rail seats were installed on the Kop earlier this year in the remaining blocks 202-208, up to row 33, during the most recent installation phase.

But since it is not authorized for supporters to remain standing the entire time, the club risks fines from the appropriate authorities if this practice persists.

There are reportedly worries within the organization that the problem could force Anfield to operate at a reduced capacity, which would allow fewer fans to attend the game at a time when demand for tickets has rarely been higher. There is a safety risk associated with the standing.

In order to prevent a repeat of the circumstances that resulted in several spectators being removed from the stadium during last week’s match against Arsenal, Liverpool has informed those fans who bought tickets in that section of Anfield of their concerns in advance of Newcastle United’s visit on New Year’s Day.

A few supporters are believed to have been kicked out of Anfield for allegedly delivering “inexcusable abuse” to stewards who were attempting to restrict the number of fans standing during Mikel Arteta’s team’s draw.

In order to raise the stadium’s capacity from 54,000 to 61,000 seats, there was a “groundbreaking” ceremony in late September 2021 with Jurgen Klopp in attendance. Nevertheless, because of the hospitality areas and a smaller portion of the lower tier that is still unfinished, Anfield is currently operating at about 57,000.

Liverpool hopes to welcome all 61,000 visitors by the end of January, but continued standing may still have an effect on that in the future.

The £80 million expansion, which added 7,000 seats, was originally scheduled to open in August in time for Bournemouth’s visit. However, due to the forced bankruptcy of the original contractors, Buckingham Group, the opening date was pushed back until earlier this month.