Kieran Maguire: Liverpool have the edge on ‘dumb’ rivals amid £250m reveal
Liverpool have ensured they have the edge on “dumb” rivals in the football industry by making Anfield a multi-use venue.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the stadium’s money-spinning capabilities.
Liverpool announced last Friday (1 July) that they had installed a new pitch ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
It is claimed that the new hybrid playing surface allows for quicker regeneration, and that means off-season events like concerts will be easier to stage.
As quoted by the Liverpool ECHO on Friday (8 July), managing director Andy Hughes revealed that the FSG regime has now spent £250million on long-term infrastructure projects.
And Maguire saluted the Merseysiders for investing in a pitch that allows them to squeeze more money from Anfield.
“Football is a dumb industry in that your main generative asset, your stadium, is only open between 25 to 30 days per year,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“For the other 335, it looks very nice but it isn’t doing anything. So anything that can further monetise Anfield is going to find favour.
“The Rolling Stones recently played at Anfied, for example. Anything that allows them to charge a rental fee to a promoter is a no-brainer because the additional revenue far exceeds the marginal costs of putting on the gig.
“However, the last thing you want to do is upset the groundsman or the analysts who value the playing surface.
“We’re now playing on the best pitches and what you don’t want to do is lay a surface that impacts the ability of players to perform.”
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