Two gates at Anfield, the famous football ground in the Anfield area of Liverpool, carry the names of former Liverpool F.C. managers Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley. The Shankly Gates are among the most visited landmarks at the stadium, which lies about 2 miles from Liverpool Lime Street railway station. Anfield has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since the club’s formation in 1892, and the ground now holds 61,276 spectators, making it the fifth-largest football stadium in England.
History of Anfield and the Gates
Anfield opened in 1884 under the ownership of John Orrell, a minor landowner who lent the pitch to Everton F.C. in exchange for a small rent. Everton’s first match at the ground, against Earlestown on 28 September 1884, ended in a 5-0 victory. The club left for Goodison Park in 1891 following a dispute with club president John Houlding, after which Liverpool F.C. was formed and took over the ground. The stadium’s name traces back to Old and Middle English words meaning ‘a field on a slope’, with the name linked to the area since at least 1642. The Shankly Gates and the Bob Paisley Gates stand as permanent tributes to two of Liverpool’s most celebrated managers, each gate named to honour their contributions to the club’s history.
Statues and Stadium Landmarks
Beyond the gates, both managers are commemorated with statues outside the stadium. The Bill Shankly statue was unveiled in 1997 by the Spion Kop, while the Bob Paisley statue followed in 2020 near the Main Stand. Anfield has four stands in total: the Spion Kop, the Main Stand, the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand and the Anfield Road End. The ground converted to an all-seater layout in 1994 following the Taylor Report. Major expansion work saw the Main Stand extended in 2016 and the Anfield Road Stand redeveloped, with the stadium capacity exceeding 61,000 by 2024. The record attendance at Anfield was 61,905, set during a match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1952.