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Liverpool and Everton almost had stadiums built right next to each other that would shared a central spine.
The Premier League rivals are among the biggest clubs in the world and possess a grand history in English football. Both clubs have played at their respective homes of Anfield and Goodison Park since 1892 in what has been over 125 years of the famed Merseyside derby fixture.
Despite the passionate rivalry among both sets of fans, there was once a time when a proposal for a 'Siamese stadium' would have seen Liverpool and Everton's home standing side by side. Back in 2010, the Mersey Stadia-Connex group announced surprising plans for a twin arena housing for the Premier League clubs.
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The stadiums – which would have been located in Stanley Park – would stand side by side and share one 'central spine'. Images of the proposed stadiums were released over a decade ago with Liverpool's stadium holding a capacity of 60,000 and 50,000 for Everton.
The two-sided, ten-level central hub was certainly a unique plan but one that would have saved the clubs between £180million to £220million in production costs and with Liverpool suffering financial issues at the time under then-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, there was a possibility it could happen.
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The proposed construction would have been a 10-story spine with a staggering 300-bed hotel, hospitality facilities, 150 executive boxes and a massive underground car park. Luckily for both sets of fans, the consortium's proposal was declined by both owners.
That same year, Liverpool were sold to Fenway Sports Group who transformed the financial standing of the club who were on the verge of entering administration. Since FSG's arrival at Liverpool, Anfield's 45,000 capacity has been increased to 54,000 and is set to expand once again through the £80m Anfield Road Stand expansion that is expected to be completed in 2024.
In Everton's case, they'll be saying goodbye to Goodison Park next year as the club are in the midst of building a new ground on Bramley Dock that will cost up to £500m and will hold almost 53,000 fans, a vast improvement on the 39,414 supporters that their current stadium can hold.
- Liverpool FC
- Everton FC
- Premier League
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