Liverpool CEO outlines return of fans as 'immediate priority' on first day

Liverpool FC via Getty Images
David Lynch1 September 2020

Billy Hogan has declared getting fans back into Anfield his number one priority on his first day as Liverpool’s new CEO.

Formerly the club’s chief commercial officer, Hogan has stepped up to a more senior role following the end of Peter Moore’s three-year tenure.

And the American’s main focus is on restoring supporters to Premier League grounds after a lengthy absence enforced by the coronavirus pandemic.

Hogan hopes fans will be allowed to return by October, though he acknowledged that there is plenty of work to do to make that a reality.

He told the club’s official website: “Well, clearly the immediate priority we’re all focused on is how we get our supporters back into Anfield.

“The uncertainty of the current situation with the pandemic is obviously incredibly challenging, both from a business perspective – for every business around the world – but clearly for us as a club.

“So we’re working hard right now. We’ve obviously got to be guided by the government, and working together with all the clubs in the Premier League, so a lot of work going on behind the scenes in terms of how that’s going to work.

“We’re working through how we get people into Anfield, how we get them out of Anfield, how many tickets actually will we have to sell, and how that ticketing process works. That’s clearly a huge challenge.

“We’re obviously hoping that October is kind of the date that’s been discussed, we’ll see as we go forward. That’s only a few short weeks away. But I know, again, the team that’s working behind the scenes on that has been incredible and I know will rise to the challenge.

“That’s really probably the biggest challenge right now, is operating in this environment with the uncertainty that the virus creates.”

In Pictures | Arsenal vs Liverpool, Community Shield | 29/08/2020

1/49

Diminished gate receipts and television rebates resulting from the pandemic have dealt a major financial blow to clubs across Europe this summer.

But Hogan is confident that the ‘solid foundations’ put in place over the last decade should allow Liverpool to weather the storm.

He added: “We really need to look at continuing to operate the business as we have done.

“The mantra, as most people know, is that this is about trying to create a sustainable business, a sustainable club, so it’s really my job to continue to run the organisation as efficiently as we can, to support the team.

“Clearly we’re in a great position, obviously an amazing last couple of seasons, in particular this past season with all the success on the pitch.

“We’ve obviously got incredibly solid foundations but these are uncertain times, so we’ve got to manage through that uncertainty.

“It has been a difficult last five or six months since we went into lockdown, but I think the great news is that the team, both on and off the pitch, has been able to work through that.

“We’re just looking forward to starting the campaign as champions. Now it’s my job to lead the business and ensure we support Jürgen and Michael and the team at Melwood as best we can.”

The club’s ambitions have not been dulled by recent events, though.

As Hogan explained: “This is Liverpool Football Club, we’re focused on winning trophies – that’s ultimately the vision.

“I’ve been involved with the club now for 10 years, worked for the club full-time for eight years. Really it’s about how we create a sustainable organisation.

“My role is to help lead and work alongside an incredibly talented group of people off the pitch to help support what happens on the pitch.

“The vision remains the same. We want to win trophies, we want to continue to do what Jürgen and the team have done, which has been incredibly successful over the last couple of seasons, and continue to build on that.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in