“At the end of a storm

There’s a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

For your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone”

This famous tune, originally from a musical called “Carousel” in 1945 was popularised by the Liverpudlian Merseybeat group “Gerry and the Peacemakers” in 1963. From them on, it has been heard throughout the Anfield terraces, and has become the football anthem of Liverpool Football Club (LFC). My love for LFC began when I was quite young, in the early noughties when Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard, both local lads from Liverpool, were playing mesmerising football which absolutely captivated my heart. Ever since then, I have been a big fan of the club.

When I got the opportunity to study in UK, visiting Liverpool, and especially Anfield was high on my bucket list, and I got the opportunity to do a stadium tour which had a good student discount as well.

The tour included an audio/video guide, and I was allowed to explore the stadium at my own pace. Anfield is such a grand stadium even from the outside, and it was a bright sunny day so the visibility was quite good too. After exploring the outside for a bit, I started my tour at the terrace of the stadium, with a bit of history on how the stadium was built and renovated. After that I got my first view of the pitch which I had been watching from a television for most of my life. It was a sight to behold!

The tour took me to some unexpected areas as well, such as the cafeteria and the restaurant used by the players and the changing rooms used by both the home and away teams. The home team changing room was obviously the better one for me personally! I also got the opportunity sit at the press conference table where the current manager, Jurgen Klopp gives his interviews prior to football matches!

After this, I walked through the tunnel with the famous “This is Anfield” sign and onto the pitch-side. This was the best experience of the tour for me, as I got the opportunity to touch the sign, and walk out. I sat at the dugout used by the home team, and at the Kop end of the stadium.

After the stadium tour, I visited the Liverpool merchandise store, which was massive and had so much merch. If you’re in need of LFC merch, this definitely is the place to be! Lastly, my ticket also included a tour of the Liverpool museum, which had so many memorabilia over the more than 130 year history of the club. My favourite part of the museum was the champions wall, displaying the 6 European Cups won by LFC.

In short, this was the experience of a lifetime, and I am hoping to visit the stadium once more to catch a game of football with the home fans! If you’re a fan of any football clubs, I highly recommend doing a stadium tour to understand and learn more about the club that you support!

YNWA!

Shaulan