Anfield
- Everton FC (1884-1892)
- Liverpool FC (since 1892)
- European Football Championship 1996
- Rugby Union World Cup 2015
Anfield is a football stadium in Liverpool, England, in the district of Anfield. It is the home ground of English football club Liverpool FC. The pure seat stadium can accommodate 45,362 spectators. The Anfield Stadium is (also) at Anfield. From Anfield among other entrances lead into "Away End", ie in the sector of the Anfield stadium which is provided for the visiting fans. The famous Liverpool Fan Area " The Kop " is, however, at the Walton Breck Road. At the Kemlyn Road borders the relatively modern two-piece back straight, while the old Grandstand ( Main Stand ) is at the Lothair Road.
History
The sports area between Walton Breck Road and Anfield was built around the year 1884 and initially served the local rivals Everton as a home ground. Due to severe differences to the ownership and high lease fees to Everton in 1892 but decided to move to the neighboring Goodison Park. To breathe life back into the now orphaned Stadium, a new football club was founded, Liverpool.
The Liverpool FC established itself quite quickly in the top English league and the first English league titles won for themselves in the years 1901 and 1906. With the ever increasing popularity then began the first stadium expansions. After the second title the stadium in 1906 was expanded to include the legendary Kop, a tribune, which is named after the hill Spion Kop (viewpoint) in the South African province of Natal, the British soldiers in the Boer War defended at the Battle of Spion Kop and heavy losses suffered. The Kop, 1928 supplemented by a canopy, became one of the most famous general admission grandstands Europe. Anfield offered at that time more than 60,000 visitors. The attendance record was achieved with 61 905 on 2 February 1952, when Liverpool played in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In 1957 there was the establishment of the floodlights again a big step forward. The new coach Bill Shankly, who brought the meantime relegated to the second league club back in England's top sat, at this time the stadium his stamp on. A blackboard with the text, "This is Anfield! " Shankly did install in the tunnel leading to the field, which should clarify the opposing players before the match once again that they were not in any stadium and did not play against any club.
In 1994, finally went a piece of Liverpool history to an end when the famous Kop was demolished and replaced by a pure seat grandstand. In 2002, the club management had its followers also know that Liverpool intend to leave Anfield in favor of a larger and more modern arena in nearby Stanley Park. This plan has now been abandoned.
In October 2012, the owners of Liverpool Football Club and the city of Liverpool opted for an expansion to 60,000 seats. Work on the stadium expansion, which was also criticized for surrounding houses have to be demolished to begin in 2014.
Find out more
Only three German teams succeeded at an official European Cup game to score a goal at Anfield. These are Dynamo Dresden and Bayer 04 Leverkusen and BFC Dynamo. The Austrian Grazer AK succeeded in the European Cup season 2004/ 05 even a 1-0 away win, at that time the first victory by an Austrian team in the European Cup in England at all.
In the European Football Championship 1996 was the Anfield Stadium venue of the preliminary round Group C, the German football national team played therein but as the only team in the group, all three group matches at Old Trafford in Manchester. After the preliminary round, quarter-final match between France and the Netherlands ( 5:4 n E. ) was held at Anfield.
The Anfield Stadium corresponds to a maximum of category 2 of the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations. Thus, there may not actually main round matches of the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League place.