Liverpool announce plans to increase Anfield capacity to over 61,000

Liverpool have put forward proposals for the expand the capacity of Anfield to more than 61,000.

The European champions plan to around an extra 7,000 seats to the Anfield Road Stand, the majority of which will be general admission tickets.

The proposal, which comes three years after the completion of the Main Stand redevelopment, is at the draft stage and does not include details such as an opening date.

Liverpool will hold a public consultation before deciding which steps to take next, with a number of drop-in events planned over the coming weeks.

Andy Hughes, Liverpool's chief operating officer, told the club's official website: "For any expansion to the Anfield Road Stand to go ahead we need certainty on three key areas. "

"Firstly, that we are able to reach agreement with local residents, businesses and community groups that they will allow the expansion plan to take place, which will mean closing a short section of Anfield Road between 96 Avenue and Skerries Road.

"Secondly, that we have the right sustainable financial and economic model in place to deliver a long-term sustainable Anfield. And lastly, that we are able to successfully navigate the complex planning landscape. We need to be satisfied on all three points for work to proceed.

"We are working towards creating an expanded Anfield Road Stand which will see around 7,000 additional seats. The majority of these seats will be for general admission use and we expect some seats will be allocated for a sports bar/lounge-type hospitality in order to ensure the economic viability of the expansion. 

"Further profiling is needed and we expect to provide more detail at the second-stage consultation early next year. These first-stage consultation sessions we are holding are crucial as they will be used to inform the design proposals we are developing, which in turn will help us to make a decision on whether to proceed with the expansion as a whole."

Should it go ahead, the redevelopment will cost a reported £60million and would make the famous Kop stand the smallest in the stadium.