Premier League rivals had plans for bizarre ‘Siamese-style’ stadium but abandoned idea
Liverpool and Everton have a rivalry that goes back generations and they could have become even closer neighbours under radical plans.
The two clubs are less than a mile apart and for many years there had been talks about the two clubs collaborating on a new stadium project.
Anfield and Goodison Park are both historic stadiums, but as the years went by it was evident that both needed serious upgrades.
Both Liverpool and Everton explored all possibilities of renovating, expanding or ultimately building new arenas.
Getting enough funding together for these projects proved to be the biggest barrier, and that led to talks about the possibility of groundshares or collaborations.
While groundshares between two huge teams are uncommon in English football, it is the norm elsewhere.
For instance, AC Milan and Inter Milan share the San Siro, while Roma and Lazio play in the Stadio Olimpico.
Liverpool had plans approved in 2003 for an all-new 60,000 seater stadium in Stanley Park, that would have opened in 2006, but a lack of funds saw the project never get off the ground.
Under the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, new plans were unveiled for a futuristic stadium that would hold 60,000 people and be expandable to 73,000 in the future.