Liverpool Plan New Stadium

Liverpool has been given the go-ahead to build its redesigned £400 million stadium in Stanley Park. The city council's planning committee granted permission on Tuesday to move the few yards from Anfield to a new home with a potential capacity of 76,000 - making it as large as Manchester United's Old Trafford. The new ground will initially hold 60,000 fans but further applications to add seats may be made. The turf will be sunk 26ft into the ground allowing room for more supporters to be accommodated around the pitch. Liverpool won permission for a 60,000-seat stadium in March 2006, but the club's new American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett sent the designers back to the drawing board.The new stadium will hold 114 executive boxes - twice the number in the original design - and will regenerate neglected Stanley Park. Work on the new stadium will begin in spring and it is hoped it will be ready in 2011. Up to £10 million of government funding will be used to redevelop the old Anfield site. Plans include a new park, sports centre and hotel. The club's Anfield home, which has a capacity of 45,400, was originally built in 1884 for Merseyside rival Everton. Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry told the club's website, www.liverpoolfc.tv: "We want a great team and a great stadium. The message for the fans is it will give us the revenues to make sure we continue to compete on the pitch."Meanwhile Premier League rival Tottenham Hotspur has remained tight-lipped over the latest speculation about plans to redevelop its White Hart Lane ground or move to a new stadium. One suggestion is that Tottenham will shut down its traditional home for two seasons while it is upgraded to a 52,000-capacity arena and ground-share with rival West Ham United at Upton Park until the work is completed. Another idea is for Tottenham to play high-profile matches at the new Wembley Stadium. Tottenham said in a statement: "As outlined in the chairman's statement that accompanied the financial results published last month, the club is currently reviewing its options, a process which is ongoing and will see us commit to one option in the first half of 2008."