LIVERPOOL, England -- Liverpool officially opened the new stand Main Stand at Anfield during an event on Friday.
Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, Jurgen Klopp and a host of former players were present at Anfield on Friday morning as the club marked the occasion in front of the media.
The work carried out on the stand had added a further 8,500 seats to Anfield -- making it one of the largest all-seater single stands in European football and has taken the overall capacity at Anfield to 54,074.
The opening comes ahead of the Liverpool's first home game of the season as they welcome Premier League champions Leicester City on Saturday evening just 643 days since work started on the project.
The new Main Stand, which consists of 1.8 million bricks and blocks and over 5000 tonnes of steel, also includes a public realm space for fans to gather, as well as a new home for the Hillsborough Memorial in honour of the 96 Liverpool supporters that lost their lives on April 15 1989.
Liverpool's chairman, Tom Werner, said in a statement: "Redeveloping the Main Stand has been about improving our home rather than having to abandon it in the name of progress. We want what all Liverpool supporters want -- future success on the pitch.
��Jürgen Klopp urges #LFC to use the "power" of the new Main Stand to their advantage against Leicester Cityhttps://t.co/zbGD5rzNeU
- Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 8, 2016
"Anfield isn't just where we play matches. Anfield is home and it's as much a part of the identity of this club as the Liverbird on the crest of the shirt.
"A crucial factor for us, as ownership, was to ensure that the club listened to key constituencies during this project. Listening and acting on what we heard has been a big part of our personal involvement.
"We listened to our supporters, the local community, former players and the Hillsborough, [Bill] Shankly and [Bob] Paisley families. All the groups joined us on this journey and played their part in helping to create what we see before us today."
He concluded: "Tomorrow marks a new chapter for this great football club. We look to the future while respecting our past and, most importantly, we continue our journey at Anfield."