Liverpool FC and Everton FC chiefs Ian Ayre and Robert Elstone reveal thoughts on future of both clubs
EVERTON FC cannot redevelop Goodison Park and Liverpool FC will not announce its stadium plans until a âresponsibleâ way to raise finances has been found, club bosses said.
Blues chief executive Robert Elstone and Reds managing director Ian Ayre shared a platform yesterday to discuss football finance at a fringe event at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, which is being held in the city.
Mr Elstone ruled out redeveloping Goodison Park as unaffordable and Mr Ayre said the Reds were looking for a responsible way to add 20,000 extra seats to their gate receipt. Everton is currently searching for a new home and Liverpool is mulling over whether to build a new ground in Stanley Park or redevelop Anfield.
The pair sat down for a question and answer session with Frank McKenna of lobby group Downtown Liverpool in Business, which hosted the event for delegates to the congress.
Both leaders announced plans to expand their commercial operations in Asia, and said the idea of a 39th Premier League game being played abroad to help raise revenue needs to be explored.
ON THE STADIUM QUESTION
Ian Ayre believes Anfield represents one of the best stadium atmospheres.
âPeople are more interested in what happens on the pitch. Itâs not to say that the other things are not important.
âIt is about finding the right solution that keep the great heritage experience and atmosphere and finding the right thing for the future. Itâs not so easy a challenge.
âWe have to have the right economic model.
âOur sweet spot is around 60,000 to 65,000, because we donât want empty seats.
âWe already have 46,000 seats, and those extra 20,000 seats are not going to generate hundreds of millions.
âIf it meant we were writing cheques for that rather than the team people will ask why.
âWe have got to do it in a responsible way. If you donât do that you can get yourselves in all kinds of trouble.
âThe board are very focused on it but conscious of the fact it has to be the right economic model.â
Robert Elstone said: âI agree with what Ian said, the most important thing is the atmosphere and the experience, so maybe we have got the recipe for a share.
âChelsea FC recently did some work about the challenge of redeveloping and staying at Stamford Bridge, and it said their capacity would go down.â
He said the London club had been told it would be hugely complex and also cost ÂŁ600m.
âThere are similar problems to rebuilding Goodison.
âThe only sensible option is land acquisition. I genuinely believe that the redevelopment of Goodison is not a realistic option.â
He said ideas to redevelop the Park End would still leave the other three sides of the stadium in desperate need of updating.
âWe have to look for a new site and use the Kirkby funding model which involved 40% to 45% of the capital cost coming from retail uplift subsidy.
âI donât think there are a shortage of sites, I believe there is a shortage of funding.
âI think our optimum capacity is around 50,000, which generates an extra ÂŁ5m [a year]. That means its tight, it needs a great naming rights deal or subsidy, or probably both.â
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