Liverpool are hoping to partially reopen Anfield with a capacity of around 12,500 for next month’s Premier League fixture against Sheffield United.
Discussions are ongoing but the visit of Chris Wilder’s side, currently scheduled for October 24, has been pencilled in as the first home game to be played in front of fans since the club’s Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid on March 11.
The Athletic understands the plan is to use all four stands and implement social distancing measures so Anfield will be operating at around 23 per cent of its usual 54,000 capacity.
Liverpool have held ongoing talks with supporters’ groups since the initial lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in March and recent fans’ forums have discussed plans to reopen the stadium with club officials taking feedback on board.
Billy Hogan declared that getting fans back into Anfield was his “immediate priority” after officially starting work as the club’s new CEO this week. “There is a lot of work going on to figure out how we do that and most importantly how we do it safely,” he said. “An amazing team of people are working behind the scenes to look at what those challenges present.”
Every home game played behind closed doors costs Liverpool more than £3 million in lost revenue.
The big dilemma is how to go about distributing those 12,500 tickets. Liverpool have around 27,000 season ticket holders and around 11,000 members who have all the relevant credits to be eligible for a seat.
Fans will likely have to opt into a ballot. Tickets cannot be transferred, either, as Liverpool need to know exactly who is inside the ground and exactly where they are sitting to comply with NHS Test and Trace measures.
Liverpool say they are still working on the finer details and will continue to take advice from both the government and the Premier League.
“There’s nothing concrete in terms of proposals at this stage but the dialogue with the club has been very positive,” a source from one of the fans’ groups involved in the discussions with Liverpool told The Athletic. “Some Premier League clubs have just said, ‘This is what we’re doing, end of story’. But to their credit, Liverpool have sought to engage with the fans.
“They’ve been in listening mode and 12,500 is the kind of figure they are talking about. They are having to make big changes to the concourses and the areas outside the ground, which still form part of the club’s footprint.
“The ratio of season ticket holders in the ground should be roughly the same to what it usually is for games. Depending on demand, a season ticket holder could be looking at only being able to attend one in every four matches until the capacity can increase. Not everyone is going to be satisfied but it’s not an easy situation for anyone.
“There could be up to 500 away fans allowed in too but that’s going to come down to a Premier League-wide decision based on government advice on things such as travelling to and from games.”
With the ongoing uncertainty and reluctance to take money up front that could have to be refunded, Liverpool have decided to suspend the season ticket renewal process and their “Auto Cup Scheme”, which allows season ticket holders and members to secure tickets for cup competitions. Instead, they will sell tickets to fans on a match-by-match basis.
No credits will be accrued for future seasons because the club do not want to penalise supporters who, for a variety of reasons, may decide they don’t wish to attend games in the current climate.
Hundreds of Anfield stewards took part in a Zoom call with club officials on Tuesday night to learn more about the reopening.
They were informed that fans will have to wear face masks and the plan is to use the large exit gates rather than turnstiles when it comes to supporters entering the ground to avoid confined spaces. Despite the heavily reduced capacity, Liverpool will still operate with around 670 stewards on match days.