Anfield gigs 'boosted Liverpool economy by £31m'

Taylor Swift and Pink played the stadium in Liverpool this year

Concerts held at Liverpool's Anfield stadium, including Taylor Swift and The Rolling Stones, have helped boost the local economy by over £31m over the last five years, the football club has said.

A new report by consultancy firm Turley Economics has revealed the financial benefit for the local economy and said the gigs also provided thousands of jobs for local people.

Ben Latty, Liverpool's chief commercial officer, said the club were "delighted to play our part in boosting the local economy and providing local jobs".

Councillor Harry Doyle said the redevelopment of the stadium had been "a huge success for the club and the city".

A mural of Taylor Swift featured outside The Phoenix Hotel in Anfield, Liverpool as part of a celebrations in the city

Since 2019 a total of seven artists have played 11 concerts at Anfield, with close to half a million people visiting Anfield, the club said.

This year Taylor Swift performed over three nights as part of her Eras worldwide tour and Pink’s Summer Carnival 2024 took place over two nights.

In previous years Anfield hosted Bon Jovi, Take That, Elton John and The Eagles, with a minimum of 1,450 staff required for each and 85% of those employed for Anfield concerts were from Liverpool.

Recent expansion at Anfield stadium has seen capacity increase to 61,000

Paul Cuttill, Liverpool's vice-president of stadium operations, said the recent stadium expansion had seen capacity grow from 45,000 in 2015 to 61,000 which meant the club could "help bring the biggest artists to Liverpool".

He said the teams who staffed the events had adjusted to the "different dynamics" of the crowds.

"150,000 people came through the turnstiles for Taylor Swift," he said.

"They were younger, maybe their first time at a stadium or in a large crowd, we had to make sure they were welcomed in the right way.

"The feedback from promoters is the thing that makes Anfield different is the people."

'World class acts'

Doyle, Liverpool City Council's member for culture, said the fact the "iconic venue now doubles up as a world-leading concert venue each summer has been a tremendous boost to our tourism economy".

Mr Latty said the football club had "had incredible feedback from concertgoers, promoters and from local residents alike.

“We’re excited to recently announce Dua Lipa and we’re working hard to bring more world class acts to Anfield in 2025.”