3 new Liverpool FC stadium plans that never happened: ‘Spaceship’ and ‘Wembley’ – Liverpool FC

Liverpool’s spiritual home will remain at Anfield, as it has been since the 1890s, following another major redevelopment, but it has not always been this way, with three alternatives proposed.

Anfield has been the home of Liverpool Football Club since its formation in 1892 and has undergone significant changes in the intervening 132 years.

A further 7,000 seats have been added to its capacity throughout the 2023/24 season, with the new state-of-the-art expansion of the Anfield Road End taking the venue to 61,000 seats.

The move was a continuation of the club’s quest to match its ambitions on the field with those off it, but the future could have been very different had previous plans come to fruition.

Stanley Park was the long-rumored destination for a new ground, and several concepts were floated before current owners FSG pushed ahead with staying at Anfield.

Here, we’ll show you the three stadium plans that never came to fruition for Liverpool – and for good reason!

The Defense Bowl

The Parry Bowl, as it was nicknamed by fans, was designed in 2002 and would be built 270 metres from Anfield in Stanley Park, with former chief executive Rick Parry leading the project.

Originally, the stadium was supposed to seat 55,000 fans, was expected to be completed in 2005, and would still be called Anfield.

But it left a lot to be desired, with few unique elements to create a momentum to leave the original Anfield behind – although it was later revisited by FSG.

Ultimately, funding would be a huge struggle and the plans would be left on the shelf for someone else to pick up – though they will continue to gather dust.

Hicks and Gillett’s Crazy Spaceship

Tom Hicks and George Gillett were, unfortunately, the ones who took over with grand plans that they only talked about but never put into practice.

Design for the £300 million 60,000-capacity stadium, which was to be expanded to 75,000, was submitted in 2007 with a planned completion date of 2010.

A single-tier Kop with a capacity of 18,000 was the main selling point.

You may remember the quote, “The shovel has to be in the ground in 60 days,” and, spoiler alert, it wasn’t — although they later only scratched the surface, just barely.

Many excuses were given for the lack of movement in the clearing of the way, and many soon realized what their ownership would entail.

This plan was scrapped after a meeting between American architects HKS and Liverpool City Council.

Wembley’s little brother

Then came another redesign, as Hicks and Gillett scrapped the previous ones in favor of a scaled-down version with the same architects who drew up the first plan in the early 2000s.

It certainly bears similarities to modern Wembley.

The new economic plans would receive approval from the board, but fans were not easily convinced as delay after delay made the images seem like a pipe dream rather than a tangible reality.

And they would be right. More delays and excuses would follow, and soon the club would be in ruins as the Americans looked set to tear Liverpool apart.

Vs. 2024 reality

Liverpool would have to wait until FSG arrived to take the first significant steps, with a move to Stanley Park being mooted before the focus shifted to expanding Anfield.

And despite the long wait, the redevelopment has proven to be a huge success. Firstly, the Main Stand in front of the new Anfield Road End has been the subject of much-needed attention.

This is what Anfield looks like now, in 2024 – the best plan ever.