Liverpool is a football city through and through. Many tourists know Liverpool solely because of its famous football club, Liverpool FC. Today, we’re delving into the club’s rich history, from its founding to its defining moments. Read more about it on iliverpool.info.
The club’s origins
The history of Liverpool Football Club began in 1892. The city’s new team was founded after a dispute between John Houlding and the director of Everton FC. For several years, Everton had played at Anfield stadium. But when Houlding became the sole owner of the ground, he decided to increase the annual rent from £100 to £250. This, naturally, led to a disagreement between the stadium owner and the football club. In the end, Everton moved to Goodison Park, leaving Houlding with a stadium but no team. That’s why he decided to create Liverpool FC. The new side was made up mostly of Scottish players, and on 1 September 1892, Liverpool FC played their first-ever match against Rotherham Town. They won, of course.
The newly formed club won the Lancashire League and were invited to join the Second Division for the 1893-94 season. Liverpool FC went on to win the Second Division title and were promoted to the top flight.
1901 was a significant year for the club, as Liverpool won their first league title. The football club had a good reputation and consistently delivered strong results, though they would later endure a lengthy period without a win.
A European powerhouse
In 1959, Bill Shankly became the club’s manager, and his arrival transformed Liverpool into one of Europe’s leading clubs. The new manager reshaped the squad, releasing 24 players. The team went on to win the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division. The victories kept coming: they won the FA Cup in 1965, the league title in 1966, and the UEFA Cup in 1973.
After Shankly retired, Bob Paisley took over as manager and led Liverpool to a remarkable 21 trophies during his tenure.
Another club veteran, Joe Fagan, also enjoyed great success as manager. In his first year, Liverpool won three major trophies: the league title, the League Cup, and the European Cup.
Club tragedies
In 1985, a tragedy occurred. Liverpool was set to play Juventus at Heysel Stadium in the European Cup final. Before the match, Liverpool fans broke through a fence and attacked Juventus supporters. The situation became uncontrollable, and a wall supporting the stand collapsed. In the end, 39 people died. As a result of the tragedy, English clubs were banned from European competitions for five years, and Liverpool was suspended for six years.
In 1989, tragedy struck again. 96 Liverpool fans died in a crush at Hillsborough stadium.
Despite the club’s ups and downs, Liverpool FC’s trophy cabinet holds an impressive 66 trophies. They have been English champions 19 times, won the FA Cup eight times, the UEFA Cup three times, and the FIFA Club World Cup once. Liverpool FC has many more victories to its name, which continue to delight fans and motivate the players.
We hope you found this article insightful and learned something new. What do you think of this history? Share your thoughts in the comments on social media.