'Altogether Now' - possible football quarter

Everton and Liverpool meet for stadium talks
1st Mar 2010

LIVERPOOL FC and Everton FC were today sitting down for a top-level stadium summit with city council leaders.

Representatives from Liverpool university and the North West Development Agency (NWDA) were also expected to attend.

LFC chief executive Christian Purslow and his Everton counterpart Robert Elstone are trying to find a solution to their outdated grounds. Both were due at the meeting.

It is understood the clubs will be urged to let the university carry out a feasibility study into options.

NWDA chief executive Steve Broomhead said: "We welcome the meeting. People are beginning to look at the opportunities again. Both clubs need solutions, either singly or jointly."

Both Everton and Liverpool declined to comment on the meeting.

One option that may be examined during the meeting is the "football quarter" put forward by fans' group Keep Everton in Our City (KEIOC).

The KEIOC idea would see Goodison Park rebuilt - with a hotel and other developments around Stanley Park helping pay for it.

In a separate development Liverpool Labour leader Joe Anderson is writing to EFC and LFC to suggest they enter into a feasibility study with the council about the possibility of a shared stadium. He said the option needed ruling in or out once and for all, and that above all clarity was needed.

City council leader Warren Bradley has said he thinks the idea of a football quarter based around Stanley Park is a "cracking idea".

In the past any talk of a shared stadium has always been ruled out by Liverpool FC.

The club maintains it remains committed to building a new £400m, 60,000 seater ground in Stanley Park. It is understood the club is looking for £100m to get work started - but has so far struggled to raise the cash.

Building a new stadium is Purslow's number one priority. The lack of progress is a prime source of discontent among fans fed up with US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Everton fans are equally desperate for a new home.

The club was forced back to the drawing board after the government rejected the £400m Tesco/Kirkby project.

It is understood the club is now studying the possibility of re-developing Goodison - although this has always been ruled out as unaffordable.

The club is also understood to be carrying out a new search for sites with the city council. But in the past none of the sites identified by the council proved affordable because of the need for "enabling" development to help off-set the cost of the stadium.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/media-watch/everton-and-liverpool-meet-for-stadium-talks

I wouldn't mind sharing a stadium, Inter and AC Milan share a stadium and they are huge rivals.

Aren't they a month early? F*cking hell.

NO NO NO!

No!

Having a shared stadium would just see our Liverpool-ness disappear.

I wouldn't mind sharing a stadium, Inter and AC Milan share a stadium and they are huge rivals.

Me neither. We'll have a 120,000 capacity stadium.
90,000 seats for us and the blue sh*te can have 30,000 at one end, separated from the main stadium by a 50ft wall. Their end can have wooden, splintered seats to make them feel at home 

On a serious note. No!

There won't be a shared stadium. This is something a whole lot bigger than stadium talks.

This notion is about bringing a whole new approach to how the Anfield and surrounding areas can be redeveloped for the best. Which happens to include both football grounds in the area. So while the clubs are meeting together for talks, they are also at the same time, meeting up with academic and council people and also the likes of SOS and KEIOC to talk about the area - not just stadiums.

If things go well with this, it would definitely benefit both clubs for the best in my opinion and both sets of fans will be happy.

The re development of the area has to be top of their priorities and both clubs should be very willing and forthcoming with there approaches to this. A football quarter would be fantastic for the local people and for the youngsters of the area. Still very opposed to a ground share, but cant see Dumb and Dumber getting their ass's into gear and sorting our stadium out.

Can't bring myself to sit in a seat that a blueshite  had previously been sitting in, I'd stink when I came out of stadium 

It works with AC Milan and Inter because they can both fill the stadium. Everton wouldn't be able to fill the capacity that we'd require.

Can't bring myself to sit in a seat that a blueshite  had previously been sitting in, I'd stink when I came out of stadium 

Childish

It works with AC Milan and Inter because they can both fill the stadium. Everton wouldn't be able to fill the capacity that we'd require.

Im sure there would be enough Evertonians to fill the stadium, they are a pretty big club.

Im sure there would be enough Evertonians to fill the stadium, they are a pretty big club.

Is that why they give half season tickets away with kit kats etc?

The point is, there won't be a shared stadium. And this whole thing isn't even about a shared stadium.

Aside from all the stadium talk, it pisses me off that this is reported in our little, small time, media watch section of our official website but it isn't deemed big enough news to go on the official news section.

We shouldn't have the equivalent of a gossip column on our official site. It's embarrassing, especially around the times of the transfer windows with the 'who are we linked with today' sh*te.

Im sure there would be enough Evertonians to fill the stadium, they are a pretty big club.

Yeah, they're a really big club aren't they, with a really top Manager and so many trophies in their bulging trophy cabinet, they're having to move to accommodate them all 

Yeah, they're a really big club aren't they, with a really top Manager and so many trophies in their bulging trophy cabinet, they're having to move to accommodate them all 

I like how lfc.tv didn't censor out the bit about how the Yanks aren't wanted like they have before.

We won't share a ground. It's final.

I wouldn't mind sharing a stadium, Inter and AC Milan share a stadium and they are huge rivals.

Not for much longer, Inter have already drawn up plans for a new stadium. Plus the fact with the amount of games both teams play no wonder the San Siro pitch is always fu**ed.

Manchester's two clubs have separate grounds, so too do those in London, same for Birmingham, why is it the Merseyside clubs are being pushed into sharing.

I'd like both teams to have separate grounds, saying that though I'd still like to see Anfield be redeveloped.

I'd like both teams to have separate grounds, saying that though I'd still like to see Anfield be redeveloped.

That's what's being worked on by the fans mate. Shame the owners of both clubs have their heads so far up their own arses!

That's what's being worked on by the fans mate. Shame the owners of both clubs have their heads so far up their own arses!

That or still dreaming about the pounds and dollar signs. I knew of that football quarter development between SOS and KEIOC but didn't know they were also talking about redevelopment of the current grounds.

Yeah and apparently it wouldn't interrupt with any football while the work was going on as well. Which I find difficult to believe, but that's what was said.

Won a game have thee?

Taken from the minutes of the SOS AGM:

L4 Football Quarter

The retiring Chair gave details of how the Union had been asked to be involved with KEIOC
and the City Council in relation to the launch of a feasibility study relating the an L4
Football Quarter. It was underlined that this was NOT about groundshare and that the
plan would centre upon refurbished but separate stadia for the two Clubs. He introduced
Peter McGurk who gave a presentation of how a Football Quarter might work and details
of the financial and (brief) engineering case for a refurbished Anfield.

There'll be more news on this later today.

LIVERPOOL and Everton fans have joined forces to campaign for a football quarter in north Liverpool.

Under the banner “Altogether Now”, supporters groups Keep Everton in Our City (KEIOC) and the Spirit of Shankly have cast aside their rivalries to promote a pioneering concept that would have benefits, not only for the two football clubs, but the surrounding Anfield and Walton areas.

An open letter has been sent to the city’s key decision making agencies to request the co-funding of a feasibility study to examine the idea.

The football quarter is intended to be a groundbreaking regeneration programme centred around Stanley Park which will stimulate a wide range of social and economic benefits to the area.

The move was officially announced on Friday at Anfield’s historic Sandon pub, exactly 118 years to the day since the split that resulted in the creation of two clubs in 1892.

Colin Fitzpatrick of KEIOC said: “An independent feasibility study into which the fans would have some input would demonstrate the need and viability of a programme that would kickstart regeneration in the north Liverpool community, maintain Liverpool’s position as a world centre for football excellence and provide opportunities for thousands of Liverpool people.”

Both clubs have seen plans for new stadiums stall in recent years, an issue highlighted in the letter that has also been sent to both Liverpool FC managing director, Christian Purlsow, and Everton FC chief executive Robert Elstone.

Paul Rice of Spirit of Shankly said: “We are urging city leaders to explore the huge potential of this initiative.

“The lack of progress and failed schemes affecting both clubs over the last decade means critical action should be taken now if we are to secure a positive future for fans and the local community.”

The aims of “Altogether Now” include developing the football quarter into a centre of excellence for health and sports related studies while offering an opportunity to create a popular tourist destination within the city.

The initiative would also act as a catalyst for the regeneration of Walton and Anfield communities and provide jobs in line with the Mersey Partnerships target of increasing visitor spend in the region by 54% to £2bn by 2020.

Liverpool Labour leader, Joe Anderson, expressed his support for the proposal.

He said: “I think it’s an excellent idea. We’ve got a great opportunity, not only for the clubs, but also for health, education and to support the regeneration of the area.”

Link

I think John Houlding will be turning in his grave with all this talk about ground sharing with Everton.Also I do not think that Hand G have got any money to pay for a shared ground so I suppose we should be thankfull for that.

Your stadium is part of your identity, sharing it means the history in that stadium isn't all yours!

NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS!!!!!