EXCLUSIVE: What FSG are planning after Liverpool thrilled with Taylor Swift success

This summer saw the return of live music events at Anfield. The headline act saw global pop phenomenon Taylor Swift sell out three consecutive evenings at the home of Liverpool.

Having missed out on being able to host live events last summer due to the construction work that was taking place in relation to the redevelopment of the Anfield Road End, Swift’s presence on Merseyside brought a global spotlight to the city as the American songstress began the UK leg of her Eras Tour, with Liverpool one of the first stops.

The demand for tickets was enormous and, with the addition of two nights played by another icon of pop music just weeks later, Pink, it yielded a commercial revenue boost for the club of several million pounds, something that they weren’t able to rely on 12 months previous.

The Swift concerts were a hit, and showcasing Anfield as a world-class music venue able to deliver three sell-out nights for arguably the biggest, most famous singer on the planet, was a major win for the club and owners Fenway Sports Group, whose vision for Anfield when they decided to remain and redevelop was that it would be utilised for more than just football as part of finding ways to grow revenue streams that can better support the football operation.

Much planning goes into such events, and the club now has an eye on what happens next summer, although no decision has yet been made as to who will be appearing, or if they will choose to put on live events.

Speaking exclusively to the ECHO, Liverpool’s chief commercial officer, Ben Latty, said: “We had roughly 250,000 people that came to those concerts and I think you just have to think about what that does to for the city and the local economy.

“It was really apparent that these were people that were coming into the city to stay in the hotels, eat in the restaurants, make use of the local transport links, etc. I just think it's it's amazing for us to be able to bring those events to the city.

“I actually think that's a responsibility as well to try and bring these huge ‘Class A’, should we say, acts to the city of Liverpool and continue to make Liverpool famous for what it is famous for, which is music and being the sort of the centre of entertainment in certainly in the UK, perhaps even in Europe.

“It was hugely successful. It's been something that's been a long time planning. These things don't happen overnight. It is sort of 12 months out when you start having conversations.”

Liverpool’s ability to generate revenue from putting on live concerts arrives in different forms.

The firm promoting the artist and their tour will pay a rental fee for the stadium, agreed prior, while the club will also be entitled in most cases to a cut of merchandise and ticket sales. That is a running total with the club not knowing what it has taken until the final concert is completed and all the merchandise and ticket sales collated.

The clubs, in some cases, can also sell their own hospitality packages for their suites to generate additional income.

For next year, however, Latty said that the club would assess its options and stated that it was not set in stone that next summer would see more acts return to Anfield, although it was something that remained very open to if the right proposal was made, with the success of concerts both this year and in previous years having raised the profile of Anfield as a music venue considerably.

As per an agreement with Liverpool City Council, the club are permitted to host as many as six non-football events during the year, a cap placed due to the proximity of the stadium to residential areas and to limit the impact that hosting major events has on the local area.

“We're looking at our options for next summer, although whether that actually happens or not is still to be decided,” said Latty.

“But certainly, now that we've put on such amazing shows for those five nights for Taylor Swift and Pink, and previous years, I think we are very much on the tip of the tongue of promoters when they're looking for venues to take their artists to in the UK.

“I think Anfield's right up there now and I think that's kudos to the city. We put on a good show when we bring major events. There was great work from the team as well behind the scenes at Liverpool to make sure that it's a seamless visit from these huge, huge acts.

“I think for us it's something we will continue to look at,” said Latty.

“I can't specifically say right now that we're going to do more concerts next summer, but certainly we'll look at it and we'll look at every option that we get in close detail and see if it makes sense for us.”