Fenway Sports Group will end EPL club Liverpool's "10-year stadium saga by committing to develop Anfield as a refurbished 60,000-capacity venue, including 7,000 'corporate' seats," according to Harris & Miller of the London DAILY MAIL. The club has said publicly that "no final decision" has been made between refurbishment and a new stadium, but "detailed plans are in place for a phased expansion" of the Main Stand and Anfield Road stand. The work is expected to cost about $244M (all figures U.S.), a "huge saving" on the estimated $649M for a new stadium in Stanley Park. The club has already spent an estimated $81M "on designs and planning for a new stadium." Naming rights "might have helped to subsidize a new venue, but no suitable deal has been found." The Liverpool City Council believes that "official confirmation on the refurbishment is imminent." FSG Owner John Henry has "long been supportive of the idea that Liverpool's long-time home should remain their home." Council regeneration plans for the area around Stanley Park "have provided a solution to the long-running problem of freeing up land for Anfield's expansion" (London DAILY MAIL, 9/23).
