FOR THE LOVE OF LIVERPOOL
By Muhammad Arslan
Soccer is not the most popular sport in the United States and New Yorkers can be forgiven for being unfamiliar with Liverpool Football Club. But that’s not the case at the 11th Street Bar in Manhattan’s East Village where dozens of Liverpool supporters gather on match days to support Liverpool in a partisan atmosphere.
The Liverpool FC New York team after beating the Glasgow Rangers fan teamin a charity match on July 22, 2008 at Pier 40.
“I think it gives them sense of geographic community togetherness. They are not set around their living room merely watching television,” said Simon Davis, a Liverpool supporter.
On match days, Liverpool supporters transform the 11th Street Bar into a mini Anfield, the name of Liverpool’s home stadium. The area near the bar’s door is Spion Kop, the area near the bathrooms is Anfield Road, the area between Kop and Anfield Road is Centenary Stand and the backroom is Main Stand. Kop is where all the singing starts and the other “stands” join in with Kopites.
The supporters’ club in New York was formed in 1995 by dyed-in-wool Scouser Shaun Wolf. People from Liverpool are called Scousers.
Liverpool supporters used to gather in different bars in the city to watch the matches. Shaun Wolf came up with the idea to create a supporters’ club and it all came together around the time of 1996 cup final against arch rival Manchester United. Most of the members at the time were expatriate Scousers or Irish.
“There were 20 hardcore fans at the beginning and it went from strength to strength as popularity of both Liverpool and game of soccer became more and more widely known,” said Davis.
Liverpool Football Club is the most successful English club. The golden era of Liverpool was started in 1959 with the arrival of Bill Shankly. He changed the whole mindset of club and brought unprecedented success to Liverpool. His successor Bob Paisley was even hungrier and he turned Liverpool into the best side in Europe. The club went into a decline in the 1990s.
Liverpool was the first English club to visit the United States after World War II. They played a friendly match at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn as well.
When Liverpool won the European Cup in 2005, it had a significant effect on the supporters club in New York. Davis said, “I think it was the ’05 European Cup victory, which began to transform the character of the club into much more cosmopolitan.”
VIDEO: INSIDE THE CLUB
More Americans and people from different ethnic groups started to join the club after 2005. Now, the club is like a United Nation with members from Australia to Norway, Pakistan to Caribbean joining to support Liverpool Football Club with Liverbird in their hearts.
“I think it became more of a cultural phenomenon and an event,” said Davis on changes the club has gone through after the European triumph.
League matches start as early as 7:45 a.m. and as last as 1:30 p.m. during the weekends. European matches are played during midweek and they usually start at 2:45 pm. The 11 Street Bar telecast all the Liverpool matches live. It gets good crowd of Liverpool supporters for every match, but it gets extra full for showpiece matches against Everton, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and big European matches.
Liverpool supporters started the singing and chanting in the 1960s. Supporters in New York sing their hearts out during the match and after the match. The Torres bounce song for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has gained rapid popularity among Liverpool faithful. Fields of Anfield Road, Poor Scouser Tommy and Liverbird Upon My Chest are the other favorites of Liverpool supporters and can be heard on match days.
The Liverpool supporters club organizes an annual trip to Anfield. It consists of one league and one European Cup match and tour of Anfield and the museum of Liverpool as well. The supporters club also helps its members to obtain tickets for Liverpool home matches.
The Liverpool supporters club is working with local organizations to have positive influence in the community. Liverpool supporters club played a friendly match with Glasgow Rangers supporters club to raise money for Downtown United Soccer Club at Pier 40 on July 22.
“We raised $5,000 for a local school initiative to basically train and coach about 20 different teams for 12 weeks in winter months,” said Chris Cummings, Liverpool supporter.
The club will organize a Christmas party after the game against Hull City on Dec. 13. Everyone will bring some canned food and it will be donated to The Father’s Heart mission. The mission is located on 11th Street approximately 100 yards away from 11 Street bar. All the food donated will help to feed the less fortunate.
Liverpool won their last football league title in 1990 and football has changed in many ways from that time. One thing has remained the same and it is the desire of Liverpool supporters to end dominance of Manchester United in domestic football and create another Liverpool Empire to send Manchester United to title wilderness just like they did to Liverpool.
Younger Liverpool fans have never seen the Reds win the football league title. Liverpool has made considerable progress in the league under their Spanish manager Rafa Benitez in last four seasons.
Benitez overhauled both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in 2001/02 to manage Valencia CF to their first Primera La Liga title in 31 years and Liverpool supporters are hoping for him to do the same against financial wealth of both Chelsea and Manchester United and end the long wait for league title at Anfield.
“Yes, they can do it. And they had been lot closer to the title than the media give them the credit for in recent seasons” said Davis. “And with the addition of certain number of good, senior well motivated players like Robbie Keane. Anything can happen at any given day, 11 men against 11 men.”