Anfield Road Stand upper tier postponed until 2024

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Liverpool new stand
Image credit: Liverpool

Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan has indicated that the new upper deck of the Anfield Road Stand would not be finished until 2024.

Hogan updated supporters on the extension project after the English Premier League football club last month hired Rayner Rowen Construction to complete the last stages of construction.

The appointment was made when Buckingham Group Contracting, the developer in charge of overseeing the rebuilding of Liverpool’s Anfield stadium, went bankrupt. 

The new tier, which will increase Anfield’s capacity by 7,000 seats to more than 61,000, was initially expected to be ready for the 2023-24 season. However, delays and a change of contractor means there is a reduced capacity of around 51,000.

Hogan addressed the topic by outlining the updated schedule for the projects completion.

“Over the course of the last few days it has become clear that in order to complete a thorough assessment of that project completion timeline, it’s going to take longer than really we first thought,” he said in a statement.

“Ultimately, what that means for supporters is that until we have visibility of all the information needed, we’re going to have to maintain the status quo for the remainder of the calendar year, essentially meaning capacity at Anfield will remain the same as for the previous home games that we’ve seen this season, with the lower tier of the stand remaining open and the upper tier remaining closed until the end of the calendar year.”

Hogan added that Rayner Rowen Construction “really needs the time to complete the information gathering before we commit to any new project timeline” in the new year.

He also confirmed that fans who had bought tickets for seats in the upper tier for games before the end of the year – including the Merseyside derby against Everton – would be contacted by the club. Not the smoothest of operations from the Premier League giants, however the situation is being handled in the most logical way possible without severely disturbing fans of the club.

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Mitre Extends Role as Queensland Football’s Official Ball

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Image credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland has extended its partnership with Mitre as the official ball partner and main ball supplier to the Queensland football community until 2028.

Mitre footballs will continue to supply the official competition ball for the NPL Queensland, FQPL leagues and FQ Academy leagues and events.

Football Queensland CEO, Robert Cavallucci, expressed his enthusiasm for the renewal between FQ and Mitre and their continued support of the Queensland football community.

“Since first announcing our partnership three years ago, football in Queensland has experienced tremendous growth, and Mitre has stood alongside us and our clubs every step of the way,” he said in a press release.

“This renewed partnership ensures that our community will continue to have access to high-quality equipment so that all our players and clubs across Queensland can enjoy the beautiful game at its best, no matter where they are.”

Since 2017, Mitre has expanded its partnerships to state member federations in Australia by being the official match ball of NPL NSW, NPL Victoria, Football West and NPL NNSW.

The Ultimax Pro is one of the most popular football’s for Mitre. It features hyperflow debossed grooves across the ball and utilises thermally bonded construction technology for enhanced shape retention and durability.

Mitre Australia’s Director of Sportsmart Group, Gerrard Woods, was also excited about the partnership renewal with Football Queensland.

“Mitre has a long history in the game, and we’re committed to ensuring that all players and clubs can enjoy the great game with the very best equipment,” Woods said in a press release.

“Together with Football Queensland, we look forward to building on the growth of recent years as we work together to help the game reach even greater heights across the state.”

Mitre has become a vital part of the Australian football ecosystem with their quality match balls and unwavering loyalty to multiple different state federations. This ends up being an obvious decision for Football Queensland who maintain the strong connection with Mitre for another three seasons at least.

Leverkusen CEO Calls for Global Salary Cap to Level Football

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Image Credit: Ralf Ibing – firo sportphoto/Getty Images

Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has called for the introduction of a global salary cap, modelled on the NBA system, in an effort to reduce the Premier League’s financial dominance and restore competitive balance across European football.

Carro’s proposal centres on creating an international wage ceiling that would apply equally to all clubs, ensuring a level playing field for teams regardless of league or market size.

He emphasised that the concept could only succeed if implemented globally, preventing clubs in wealthier leagues from gaining an unfair advantage.

While UEFA already enforces spending controls linked to club revenues, financial inequality across Europe continues to widen. In the 2023/24 season, the Premier League generated more than €7.1 billion in revenue which is nearly double that of the Bundesliga, which brought in around €3.6 billion.

This revenue gap allows English clubs to consistently outspend their continental rivals in transfer fees and wages.

Carro’s comments have reignited discussions around financial sustainability and competitive fairness in football, raising the question of whether sweeping reform is necessary to preserve balance within the global game.

Carro spoke at the Bloomberg Future of Finance congress in Frankfurt where he warned that the Premier League’s financial power could soon overshadow even the UEFA Champions League.

“The Premier League wants to become the number one product in Europe, even ahead of the Champions League,” he said at the event.

“English clubs easily outstrip their competitors in terms of revenue. I’m usually against regulation, but this is something we have to try.”

A global salary cap could help narrow the economic divide between leagues and promote greater equality across world football. However, critics argue that it risks undermining the traditional open-market structure that has long defined European football.

By borrowing from the American sporting model, such a move could represent a major cultural shift away from the continent’s deep-rooted footballing traditions.

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