The club has asked the city council to make changes to its Kop Bar
The Kop at Anfield, on Walton Breck Road
The Kop at Anfield, on Walton Breck Road(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
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Liverpool FC won’t operate one of its most popular venues “like a pub” despite changes allowing it to open later into the night. In December, the Reds confirmed the club would open its Kop Bar in the bowels of the eponymous stand seven days a week.
With changes made to the layout of the ground, including the museum and former Boot Room sites, the Kop Bar now welcomes visitors when fans are visiting, taking in the megastore or on a stadium tour. The site is fully licensed until 11pm in keeping with the rest of the stadium.
However, the club has clarified its position after lodging a bid with Liverpool Council to extend those hours. LFC have been granted permission to open until midnight on specific occasions, which initially caused concern among Anfield residents and elected officials.
The club has been granted terms to operate for an additional hour at the Kop Bar on up to 24 occasions a year. David Crank, solicitor on behalf of LFC, told a city council licensing and gambling sub-committee hearing how the Kop Bar had become a popular venue for fans all year round and changes to the stadium footprint meant its capacity had changed to 500 from 700.
Mr Crank said the club had initially sought a 1am licence to increase flexibility for the hosting of one-off private, pre-booked events, which could not be catered for in the other lounges or suites at the stadium. He said: “It is never intended to operate as a pub.”
A detailed view of a corner flag inside the stadium
A detailed view of a corner flag inside the stadium(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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The solicitor said at no point would the club allow patrons to walk in off the street for these events seeking a late night drink. Club officials told the hearing how LFC would seek to work with partner organisations including Merseyside Police and the city council to address any concerns.
Cllr Portia Fahey, who represents the Everton North ward, said: “This has been met with universal concern in the ward.
"Residents already feel like they are beholden to LFC on matchdays and they are at the edge of what they can cope with.”
Cllr Fahey said the capacity of 500 people in the venue was “like having a nightclub” and relations between people living around Anfield and the club were “heated.”
The Labour member did concede the reduction of hours to midnight was a “reasonable amendment.”
Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium pictured in March
Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium pictured in March(Image: Jess Hornby/Getty Images)
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As a result, the application was granted. This does not impact matchdays, when the bar will open three hours before kick-off with live music and entertainment and will continue to be open for up to two hours after each game.
For evening fixtures the bar will close at 11pm.