So for Christmas I decided to finally give in and bought my partner a day at Liverpool Football Club to enjoy a tour of the stadium and entry to the mysterious Liverpool FC Museum (at least mysterious to me as I didn’t understand any of it). So… with only a few weeks left up North we decided to go last week and made a nice day of it in one of my favourite cities.

Journey to the Stadium…

As we make our way to Liverpool sitting on my seat on the yellow MerseyRail train I wonder what to expect from the tour… I am not a big footie fan, it all just seems a bit pointless to me… men running around with a ball trying to kick it in a goal. I also have no idea what the rules are about, the offside rule seems completely absurd to me and I just can’t get my head around it. My boyfriend loves Liverpool whilst my dad is a Crystal Palace fan so I tend to end up watching one or the other but not by choice.

I imagined that the stadium tour guide would mention a lot of big names in football that i had no idea who they were, and would probably make jokes with references i didn’t understand. I was however happily surprised by the reality of the tour…

The Tour (Steps Included)

The tour was led by an enthusiastic Liverpudlian who had been connected with the club for generations and had a great passion for Liverpool and all its history. He had some very interesting facts about the team, managers and stadium itself. He explained that the famous Kop stand was named after the Battle of Spion Kop which many British men fought back in 1900 and explained that it was one of the most famous stadium stands in the world because of the noise and passion created by the supporters in the stand. This was also the stand where thousands of fans would stand shoulder to shoulder passing others over head in determination to see the game.

We also wondered up several flights of stairs to see the inside of the expensive executive boxes and take some great snaps from the balconies. This wasn’t all, we were able to get extremely close to the pitch and wonder the stands which I think was a highlight for my guy as I managed to get some great snaps of him in his Liverpool FC attire. One of the other interesting highlights was that we got to see the upcoming new stand that is currently being built. I did look upon it and wonder how anyone will be able to see the game from so high up but apparently the view should be great!

The information given on the tour was quite remarkable and I had no idea how much history and talent was integrated into the game. It has given me more understanding of why the blokes in my life are so loyal to this very popular game. I would certainly say it was an easy to follow and very interesting tour.

The Museum

The Liverpool FC museum was a great display of memorabilia, imagery and information. The museum gave you a walk through the decades by the various parts that make the club; the team; the managers; and the supporters. I attempted to read all the information but it was a lot to take in and i found it much easier to ask my guy by pointing at stuff around the museum and saying “what’s that?!”

A new addition to the museum which i was especially interested in going for was the Steven Gerrard Collection. This is mainly because over the years he has been the only player i have recognised and I think its pretty interesting that he has just stayed with his hometown throughout. The collection was filled with his various personal keepsakes from his career including several shirts that he was given from different players at games including the likes of Suarez and Beckham. There were also medals, footballs and a few of his old uniforms. It was pretty nicely set up with a video of him talking about what the different things were and what they meant to him. A very good display I thought.

 

And the rest of this wonderful city…

In general I would say the tour is well worth it, even for those of us that struggle to understand the sport, and with it being less than two hours you may as well make a day of it and enjoy the rest of Liverpool with all it has to offer.

I’ve visited Liverpool a few times now but there are still new things to see each time. Liverpool One is of course the go to place for just some relaxation and retail therapy. It offers so many shops, restaurants and entertainment facilities that anyone can just spend hours there. Then there is the fabulous regenerated Albert Dock area where you can watch the ferries go by and even a cruise ship if you’re lucky! If you like to be enriched with history and art then you can also sample the Museums in the area for free! With a Maritime Museum, a Slavery Museum, a Tate Gallery, and not forgetting the new Liverpool Museum you will be spoilt for choice at the docks.

During this visit to Liverpool i decided to check out the Cavern Quarter; home of the Beatles. This small quirky area thrives on its connection to the world famous band and is filled with shops selling themed merchandise, music bars and of course the Cavern Club. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to stay for the evening entertainment but I imagine it to be spectacular. I hope to visit again soon and sample the nightlife in this wacky area.

In my opinion, Liverpool is one of the best cities the UK has to offer and it just seems to keep getting better.