£150million price hike killed off Liverpool FC stadium dream

Dec 18 2007

IN JULY this year a beaming Tom Hicks told a packed Anfield press conference that he had given the go-ahead to a world class stadium which would allow Liverpool to “compete with the Manchester Uniteds, Real Madrids and Barcelonas of the football world”.

The Texan millionaire was justifiably proud of the design by his favourite architects, Dallas-based HKS, which dazzled everyone present and caused huge excitement amongst the Liverpool fans.

Not only would the new stadium be unique, it would also service the financial requirements of a major European club for years to come.

Everything seemed perfect – a 76,000 capacity to allow more Liverpool fans than ever before to see the team play on a regular basis; vastly increased match day revenue to put the club on a more even footing with the likes of United; and a stunning architectural design the likes of which has never been seen before in this country.

But there was one big, insurmountable problem – it was simply too expensive for Liverpool to pay for it.

Forget talks of credit crunches and the sub prime crisis in the US making borrowing increasingly prohibitive, when it came down to it the HKS design was too expensive.

There were those within the club who feared as much in the first place but Hicks, in particular, remained confident that the stadium was deliverable, hence his pride at the launch presentation.

But when the cost of building the stadium and fitting it out reached a staggering £450m – despite initial estimates suggesting it would cost around £150m less – Hicks was forced to order a complete rethink. It was back to the drawing board.

The alternative was to plough ahead with the HKS design regardless, running the risk of having a white elephant of a stadium built which would have looked great but severely restricted the club's ability to compete in the transfer market.

And seeing as the avowed reason for building the stadium in the first place was to facilitate progress on the pitch, that was never going to be a realistic option.

Now the club is weighing up new plans submitted by HKS and Manchester firm AFL, both of which would allow for a capacity of around 70,000 at a more manageable price.

Chief executive Rick Parry has insisted that whichever set of plans is approved will give the fans something to be proud of and, as a qualified accountant, he will no doubt be delighted that more cost effective, if less ambitious, options are now being considered.

Significantly, plans for a single tier Kop – which Hicks was determined to incorporate into the design after seeing the world's most famous stand in all its glory during the Champions League clash with Barcelona last season – has been retained by both firms of architects.

There is no doubt within the corridors of power at Anfield that the new stadium will be built and there remains a great confidence that it will be ready for the start of the 2011/12 season.

Similarly, club chiefs are unshakeable in their belief that the stadium will be among the finest in Europe when it is completed.

The revised design submitted by HKS is believed to be only slightly dissimilar to the futuristic design which caused such excitement in the summer andAFL’s effort is understood to be a great improvement on their original effort.

But when decision time comes around in the New Year they will also be acutely aware that this time they have to get it right if they are to retain the confidence of the fans.

Another false dawn would be disastrous for the club and would leave Hicks and Gillett facing awkward questions about their stewardship of one of the biggest names in world football.

The Americans have shown their ambition and they have made all the right noises. Now they have to prove that they can deliver on their promises at a price which allows Liverpool to remain competitive in the transfer market and does not saddle them with the kind of debt which would stymie progress on the pitch.

It is a big ask but if Hicks and Gillett really want Liverpool to compete with the Man Uniteds, Real Madrids and Barcelonas of world football it is a challenge they must meet.

And should they do so, there is no reason why Tom Hicks cannot wear that beaming smile once again.