It is nearly impossible to consider Liverpool without the home of the Reds for over 130 years, but at one point this long-term home was very nearly demolished and replaced.
Liverpool FC has called Anfield its home since 1892 when Everton FC had a dispute with then-owner John Houlding and moved to Goodison Park. This meant that Mr Houlding had a stadium but no team and so Liverpool FC was founded that year.
Anfield is a major part of not only Liverpool offices but also Liverpool culture, and it is impossible to think of the area without the Shankley Gates and the eternal message that “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
However, in the early 2000s, the unthinkable nearly took place and The Kop nearly moved to Stanley Park in a plan that began moving in 2002.
The initial plan was not to call it Stanley Park Stadium, as the plans would later be known, but to keep the name Anfield, putting the plan at odds with similar stadium changes such as Manchester City’s move to the Etihad and Arsenal to the Emirates Stadium.
The early Stanley Park idea was resisted by residents, and whilst planning permission was granted, plans did not go forward.
Another early plan was to move to the former King’s Dock project, but the issue both they and Everton would find is that the stadium could only occupy 55,000, only slightly more than Anfield could and far lower than their plans to hold as many as 73,000 people.
Lack of funds and concerns about whether the stadium plans could affect on-field performance (as would later befall Arsenal) halted these plans, but they were picked up in 2007 under the new ownership of George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks.
The newer design, created by Dallas-based HKS was estimated to cost over £400m, which immediately put an end to the idea. The 2008 financial crisis particularly affected the American owners and put the club into serious financial straits given that much like Manchester United the club had been bought with loans against itself.
Ultimately, the plans were halted for good when John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group bought the team and opted to redevelop Anfield instead of building a new stadium, much like how they had renovated Fenway Park in Boston.