The History Of Liverpool Football Club

Liverpool is one the most celebrated and decorated teams in English football. Loved throughout each ‘era’ of its existence and is known for having some of the most passionate fan bases in the world. Additionally, the club is known for having some of the most iconic football matches throughout the beautiful game - most notably the Istanbul Champions League Final and the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham to name a few.

With this in mind, and to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the club (at the time of writing) in our latest post, we will be covering the history of Liverpool Football Club and what led them to being one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. As with most football clubs, the best place to start is when they were founded:

When was Liverpool Football Club Founded?

Liverpool Football Club were founded on the 3rd of June 1892, before this, the club was formed following a dispute against fellow Merseyside team, Everton in which John Houlding owned Anfield Stadium - resulting in the mighty Blues moving over to Goodison Park.

With a now-empty stadium, this allowed an influx of players from existing teams and those competing elsewhere across the country to join the newly formed Liverpool side. Liverpool’s inaugural fixture took place on the 3rd of September of the same year in which Liverpool was able to gain a comfortable win over Higher Walton 8-0.

Things were quickly looking impressive for the new Merseyside team as in their first season, they won the Lancashire League - allowing them to play Division Two football. Following this, merely a year after forming, they were able to win the Division Two Championship for the 1893-94 season - meaning they were now playing top-flight football.

Granted, there were peaks and troughs in that Liverpool was relegated following this promotion, but despite this setback, this did not stop their heads from dropping as they once again won the Division Two Championship in the 1895-96 season. Not to mention, being crowned League One Champions twice - their first coming in the 1900-01 campaign. The club won the league once again in the 1905-06 season under Tom Watson (both times) - becoming the first Liverpool legend in terms of managers. Speaking of managers, the club has been blessed with having some of the most iconic managers in world football.

Bill Shankly

Bill Shankly is one of the most celebrated Liverpool managers throughout the fanbase, with the Shankly Gates being a standout feature outside Anfield Stadium. Shankly managed the Reds for a total of 783 games and amassed an array of trophies throughout his tenure. These trophies included a League One Title, two FA Cups as well as three Community Shields.

This is especially impressive considering the Community Shield features a playoff game against the League One and FA Cup winners. Shankly also found success in Europe as he was able to lift a UEFA Cup (formally known as the Europa League).

With this array of silverware under his belt, it is no surprise that Shankly is one of the most iconic managers throughout the history of Liverpool Football Club. Despite this, it's arguable that the manager who took over following Bill Shankly’s departure is even more iconic - if not the definitive Liverpool manager.

Bob Paisley

Despite managing 248 fewer games than Shankly, after taking over Bill following Bob’s appointment on the 26th of August, 1974, Paisley has lifted much more. Most notably, Bob Paisley has lifted six League One title, three League Cups, six Community Shields, Three European Cups (known as the Champions League) as well as a UEFA Cup and Super Cup. This has resulted in Bob Paisley being the most successful manager to lead the Liverpool side, at the time of writing at least.

Additionally, it wasn’t just the silverware that Paisley was able to lift that made him such a celebrated manager, he was known for having a special connection with both the players and the fan base. Culminating in a statue being unveiled in 2020 of the legendary manager carrying club captain at the time, Emlyn Hughes off the pitch following an injury. The connection to the club is reciprocated through the fanbase, with the prime example being the Hillsborough Disaster.

The Hillsborough Disaster

The Hillsborough Disaster occurred in a FA Cup Semi-Final clash against Nottingham Forest on the 15th of April, 1989 during the Player/Manager period of Kenny Dalglish. This now infamous fixture saw hundreds of Liverpool fans be pressed up against perimeter fencing, with 94 lives being unjustly lost. Subsequently, this total has now risen to 97 following the loss of Andrew Divine in 2021 - due to injuries that materialised that day.

Following the shocking coverage from certain media outlets, this led the city and other football fanbases across the globe to rebel - forming the Justice for the 97, Never Forgotten movement. This movement saw a tremendous triumph and still carries strong today and forever more given that the poor media coverage was ultimately retracted following the initial coverage.

Kenny Dalglish noted that the Hillsborough Disaster was the reason for his resignation as managing the club for his first spell - until his return in 2011. Today, the aftermath serves as one of the most powerful examples of fanbases within football, alongside the Munich disaster for Manchester United supporters - something equally as terrible and powerful.

Liverpool’s Modern Era

As it stands today, the club remains as one of the top clubs within English football and Europe alike. Most recently, under German manager, Jurgen Klopp - the club has been able to win every competition possible. This includes:

• Premier League trophy
• FA Cup Trophy
• EFL trophy
• Community Shield
• UEFA Champions League
• UEFA Super Cup
• And the Club World Cup

With this in mind, there’s no better time to be a Liverpool supporter and what better way is there to show your support than to cheer them on live. Whether you have been before or you have always aspired to witness the iconic You’ll Never Walk Alone anthem live and in person for the first time - all of the various sections across Anfield Stadium make for some unforgettable moments.