Liverpool expects "to command the same match-day revenue as Chelsea" when its expanded main stand opens next year -- a £25M ($38M) a season uplift which its believes can ultimately help it "to compete more strongly with the London club in the transfer market," according to Ian Herbert of the London INDEPENDENT. Revenue from the new stand -- which Liverpool CEO Ian Ayre anticipates will generate £20M ($30M) from the additional 8,500 seats and £5M ($7.6M) from a naming rights sponsor each season -- "would allow the club to spend more without falling foul of UEFA, which is investigating Anfield and six other clubs for possible FFP breaches."
Ayre has reiterated that Liverpool, a club with a traditional working-class support, "could not afford to be squeamish about corporate seats forming an important part of the stadium development." Ayre: "Corporate hospitality revenues are essential. If we had increased capacity by 8,500 general admission seats only, it would have taken a ridiculous time to pay back the investment, meaning revenues into the team would have been affected. But the large corporate increase means we will pay the debt back quickly and not be saddled with debt, while quickly increasing revenues into the playing squad" (INDEPENDENT, 1/15).
