Construction to continue when economic situation improves

When Billy Bob Gillett and Hank Hicks took control of Liverpool in 2007, plans to move the club to a new 60,000-seater stadium in nearby Stanley Park were put on hiatus, so that an architect from Hicks’ native Texas could draw up a more spectacular design (and boy howdy do they know how to make a stadium in the Lone Star State).

Thanks to the global financial apocalypse, and Liverpool’s precarious loan arrangements that could bring the house of cards down at any point, preliminary building work on the site was brought to a halt last August, and it will not continue until the recession is over.

Liverpool’s new managing director Christian Purslow said:

“Construction on the stadium will begin when the

We fawn over the new home of the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys’ brand new stadium hosted its first NFL game last Friday night, and hit the headlines thanks to an apparent flaw in its design. The HD screens that hang over the pitch are the world’s largest at 160 feet wide and 72 feet tall, but they were proved to hang a little too low when Tennessee Titans’ A.J. Trapasso struck one of them with a punt. Scoreboard issues aside, Cowboys Stadium is a stunning feat of engineering that makes the new Wembley Stadium seem quite mundane by comparison.

Like Wembley, Cowboys Stadium was over budget (it ended up costing nearly double the projected $650m , and was partially funded by a half cent rise in Arlington sales tax), and is aesthetically defined by a doublearch design that towers 300 feet over the pitch. Unlike Wembley, however, the roof is fully retractable, and the world’s largest glass doors at either end zone can be opened up on particularly stuffy days. It currently holds 80,000 (10,000 less than Wembley), but will be expanded to a capacity of 100,000 in due course.

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Germans boast the best gates in the world

No one is contesting the fact that the Premier League is the greatest in the world, but in terms of attendances it lags behind our friends in Germany. The average attendance in the Bundesliga is 42,000, compared to the Premier League’s 35,000. Elsewhere, Spain average just 28,000 a game, while the Italians scrape a lowly 25,000 on average.

The popularity of football in Germany may be attributed to the fact that prices are much more reasonable, and six of their stadia can house more than 50,000 supporters - Borussia Dortmund (72,000), Bayern Munich (69,000), Schalke (61,000), Hamburg (55,000), Stuttgart (51,000) and Hertha Berlin (51,000). A further five stadiums can hold over 40,000 fans.

In England, we have just two stadia that can put more than 50,000 bums on seats - Old Trafford (75,000) and The Emirates (60,000). [Ed. - Err, actually St James Park holds 52,000 too - perhaps the source of the stats (The Sun) assumed the Toon Army had already gone down]

Spain, Italy and England have all hosted the best league in the world at some point, so perhaps the Bundesliga will take over when the Premiership bubble bursts?

The Naming Rights Arena is starting to take shape

Tottenham first released official details of the proposed Northumberland Development Project last year, and have decided to whet our appetites with a few more pictures and details.

The 58,000 capacity stadium - which looks ever-so-slightly similar to another Premier League ground just down the road -  will be the centrepiece of a complex that will include a luxury hotel, and a space for community events, such as street markets, performers, ice rink or educational activities.

More pictures after the jump…

The home of egg chasing could host international football

Twickenham - referred to as “Twickers” by those who own hampers and chinos - could be used as a World Cup 2018 venue, according to The Daily Mail. England’s 2018 World Cup bid team must submit their detailed bid for the tournament in May 2010, and are said to be interested in using the 82,000 capacity stadium:

Andy Anson, the bid chief executive, and his staff plan to hold what could prove complicated discussions with the Rugby Football Union in the belief that Twickenham could be one of the three London stadiums they present to FIFA’s executive committee.

Holding a major football event at Twickenham would be unprecedented in English rugby, but the 2018 team are, understandably, reluctant to ignore the second biggest stadium in the country.

Of the ten stadiums which will be used in South Africa, three have 70,000+ capacities. At present, just Wembley and Old Trafford can hold this much in England, so it makes sense to include Twickenham in the plan. On the other hand, using three stadiums in the capital may make the tournament a little ‘London-centric’ - just one London stadium was used during Euro 96 (although, to be fair, there were only 16 teams and eight stadiums).

The Naming Rights Arena is nearly a reality

Last month, the official Tottenham website posted details on their new stadium, and they have now added some splendid 3-dimensional images of the structure to be built on the 20-acre Northumberland Development Project. Knowing that people today feel uncomfortable with entertainment unless it is endorsed by a global corporation (Barclays Premier League, anyone?), they plan to sell the stadium’s name to the highest bidder. Either ‘Naming Rights’ is an airline we’ve never heard of, or no one has come forward with the cash.

When we first saw this stadium, we believed it to be a curvy interpretation of the Emirates, but according to Tottenham’s OS, the design echoes the “flowing lines of football”, whatever that means:

“The visuals of the new stadium

Keith Wyness has mysteriously disappeared into the Mersey night

In December 2004, a few months after Chief Exec of Aberdeen FC Keith Wyness was poached by Everton, the blue side of Mersey reinvigorated their plans to leave Goodison Park for a 50,000 out-of-town stadium complex in Kirkby.

The rotund Scot, who also voiced approval over the 39th Premier League game, was instrumental in the controversial relocation plans, but last night he caught Everton off guard and handed in his resignation. Obviously still in shock, the Toffees’ official site was only capable of mustering a single sentence on the subject:

Everton Football Club wishes to announce that Keith Wyness has resigned his position as Chief Executive Officer and director of the Club.

Many fans fear that his resignation indicates the plush Kirkby stadium, which could be used in the World Cup 2018 (should we be chosen to host), will no longer happen. Others who have been speculating on Everton’s deathly silence in the transfer market and who support the ‘Keep Everton In Our City’ will no doubt be delighted that Wyness has waddled off into the sunset.