FSG and the culture wars at Liverpool
Simon Hughes and James Pearce Oct 2, 2021
The smell of ale usually hits you as the doors of the Twelfth Man on Walton Breck Road swing open but not on this Saturday afternoon. It is 50 minutes before the Premier League game between Liverpool and Crystal Palace and the pub is half-empty.
On the walk up to Anfield from the direction of the Mersey river, pints have already been sunken at the Saddle Inn on Fountains Road and it was quiet there as well. Closer to the ground, any bar is normally two or three deep. Yet last month, you could walk into the Twelfth Man and get served more or less straight away.
The pandemic explains the atmosphere but only partly. In normal times, the energy and heat in the drinking lounges are revealed by the heavy condensation on the windows of this Victorian brick building. Now, punters are scared of sharing the same confined space, particularly with people they’ve never met before. Who knows who hasn’t been vaccinated? Fewer tourists are travelling to Merseyside for football matches as well.
Nagging away at the back of lots of supporters’ minds, though, is the same question. When they reach the stadium, will they get in?
Anfield has a new paperless entry system designed, in theory, to stop touts from profiteering at the expense of fans and, indeed, Liverpool FC. If ticket holders are unavailable to attend, eventually friends and family can take their place but only if their names are submitted to the club first through an online portal. It improves the chances of Liverpool knowing exactly who is coming and how much they have paid for the privilege. In the future, new technology means Liverpool will have more data about their match-going supporters than they ever have.
Before two pre-season friendlies, as well as league games against Burnley and Chelsea, however, there were problems.
Tickets are distributed via email and this means a mobile phone is needed to ensure smooth entry. A double-click and a swipe at the gate should do it but everyone has different phones and, of course, everyone has a different relationship with technology. For older fans especially, the transition has been more challenging.
The friendly with Athletic Bilbao in August was delayed by almost 40 minutes. For Premier League games, with cameras beaming the spectacle across the world, officials were not permitted to wait around.
For the time being, at least, the routine of finishing your pint in the Sandon, the Albert or, indeed, the Twelfth Man at 2.55pm appears to be over. Social media would confirm to The Athletic that the queues were already growing before the Palace game, so we headed over to the Kenny Dalglish Stand earlier than we ever have done. Lots of fans had also followed the club’s requests but the lines at 2.20pm were already considerable, and irritation was growing.
Signs offering guidance to the old card system were not taken down, adding to the confusion for anyone experiencing this for the first time, and the car park was not fit for purpose as a waiting spot because it accommodates between 25 and 40 people before the queue starts curling around. This, in turn, made access to other parts of the stadium more difficult than it should be.
We got in, but there were stories about other supporters joining the queues 15 minutes later, those who were still waiting to enter the ground 10 minutes after the game had started. In one instance, more problems with phones led to a stand-off with stewards and in the end, a supporter decided to give up on his money and go home with his son. This, it is fair to say, is not an isolated example of frustrations experienced by Liverpool fans at Anfield so far this season.
One of the trade-offs has been the promise of affordable lager. On the concourse of the stands at Anfield, a pint currently costs £2.90: a considerable cut on previous prices. You would do well to find a cheaper pint anywhere else in Liverpool.
The club says it is only being fair to fans, given they are asking them to spend more of their day in the ground to ensure the new system works. Herein lies another debate, one that asks questions of Liverpool’s intentions given it is a club that operates in a real financial world and relies on revenues rather than cash injections to ensure its rude health.
Landlords are suspicious of the move, believing the club is attempting to not only corner the market through tempting offers but also to cut off competing peak trade time.
There are 23 pubs within a mile of Anfield and conservative estimates among those with interests in pubs suggest the smallest ones take in around £10,000 on any decent match-day and the bigger ones, closer to £15,000. Given that Liverpool has long wanted to boost match-day revenues by extending its footprint around the ground, knowing through basic mathematics that collectively pubs are making between £230,000 and £345,000 a match, landlords ask whether this is an attempt by Liverpool to shift the match-going experience while they have the chance. After all, such a sum of money, if recouped in its entirety, could pay the wages of a new signing that many fans are demanding.
Presently, three of the stands at Anfield do not have the facilities to drive such a profit. The lack of space is reflected by the stories of the fans who normally purchase food inside the stadium but so far this season have found it harder to get served because of the number of people lining up to take advantage of the beer offer.
Given Anfield Road will soon have a new extended stand time and also that the alcohol ban on all football stadiums in place since 1985 might be lifted following a fan-led review to allow spectators to drink in their seats, a balance might soon begin to swing in favour of football clubs like Liverpool, who would prefer it if their supporters spent their money on their own club rather than competing businesses.
This dynamic was captured in 2019, barely a month after Liverpool became European champions for the sixth time, when attempts were made to trademark the name Liverpool in relation to any materials that conflict with the football club’s brand, potentially impacting upon small but popular stall holders that operate on the streets around Anfield whenever there is a game. On that occasion, the club argued it was attempting to target counterfeit merchants in the Far East but surely someone should have known, not only how it would have been received locally, but also what it would have meant for competing traders.
Anfield has become one of the most popular tourist destinations on Merseyside, and this helps drive profitability towards other connected industries across the region, but several of the pubs near the ground are now closed during the week and rely on match-day trade. Changing attitudes towards drink and the tough economic position that many residents face living in an underprivileged part of the city have pushed down sales.
Liverpool’s long-held association with Carlsberg has made it easier to lower prices inside Anfield but since the start of this season, many of the landlords are unable to compete with such value because pubs are leased from breweries and their demands have not come down while this wider shift has happened.
It is feared if the pattern continues, some of the pubs near Anfield will have to shut their doors for good. This, one of the landlords suggests, could have a “catastrophic” impact on families in the area because such pubs have been staffed by the same local faces for generations. It is understandable why another landlord, who is not alone in being down by half of his takings this season, then asks, “Once everywhere is shut and there is no competition left, will the club put their beer prices back up?”
Spot-checks on supporters, who will be asked to present COVID-19 vaccination certificates, has the potential to slow the process of entering Anfield even more before Liverpool’s game with Manchester City this weekend. The presence and might of City remind of the challenges facing Liverpool, a club that has lost as much as £150 million in the pandemic and has a billionaire owner who chooses to allow his sporting interests to operate in a circle of profit and loss. For this to work better, has FSG’s hierarchy allowed those who represent the organisation on Merseyside to quietly declare war on surrounding businesses and, indeed, fan culture?
Liverpool dismissed this idea on Friday afternoon, suggesting the removal of food and drink containers around the ground as well as the closure of the fan park has the potential to drive supporters towards nearby eating spots and watering holes. While that would require fans to arrive even earlier under the current entry advice, The Athletic has discovered the club did not conduct an impact report in relation to the pubs before implementing the new system.
A review by Liverpool is expected to happen after the visit of City but for the time being, it is hard to see a way back for the same pubs if a match-day pattern that predates any living supporters’ relationship with the club ends up being broken, whether it is intentional or not. The new system means it is more difficult to meet before a game and friendships — in the middle of a pandemic — are being tested further because not everyone sits together, or even in the same stand.
One thing is certain — if the system continues to struggle and demands on supporters continue, the pubs will be vulnerable. If they close, where will everyone meet to celebrate a victory like the one over Palace once a game is finished? The landlords, especially, ask themselves whether there is a plan to capitalise on that eventuality.
Simon Hughes and James Pearce Oct 2, 2021
The smell of ale usually hits you as the doors of the Twelfth Man on Walton Breck Road swing open but not on this Saturday afternoon. It is 50 minutes before the Premier League game between Liverpool and Crystal Palace and the pub is half-empty.
On the walk up to Anfield from the direction of the Mersey river, pints have already been sunken at the Saddle Inn on Fountains Road and it was quiet there as well. Closer to the ground, any bar is normally two or three deep. Yet last month, you could walk into the Twelfth Man and get served more or less straight away.
The pandemic explains the atmosphere but only partly. In normal times, the energy and heat in the drinking lounges are revealed by the heavy condensation on the windows of this Victorian brick building. Now, punters are scared of sharing the same confined space, particularly with people they’ve never met before. Who knows who hasn’t been vaccinated? Fewer tourists are travelling to Merseyside for football matches as well.
Nagging away at the back of lots of supporters’ minds, though, is the same question. When they reach the stadium, will they get in?
Anfield has a new paperless entry system designed, in theory, to stop touts from profiteering at the expense of fans and, indeed, Liverpool FC. If ticket holders are unavailable to attend, eventually friends and family can take their place but only if their names are submitted to the club first through an online portal. It improves the chances of Liverpool knowing exactly who is coming and how much they have paid for the privilege. In the future, new technology means Liverpool will have more data about their match-going supporters than they ever have.
Before two pre-season friendlies, as well as league games against Burnley and Chelsea, however, there were problems.
Tickets are distributed via email and this means a mobile phone is needed to ensure smooth entry. A double-click and a swipe at the gate should do it but everyone has different phones and, of course, everyone has a different relationship with technology. For older fans especially, the transition has been more challenging.
The friendly with Athletic Bilbao in August was delayed by almost 40 minutes. For Premier League games, with cameras beaming the spectacle across the world, officials were not permitted to wait around.
For the time being, at least, the routine of finishing your pint in the Sandon, the Albert or, indeed, the Twelfth Man at 2.55pm appears to be over. Social media would confirm to The Athletic that the queues were already growing before the Palace game, so we headed over to the Kenny Dalglish Stand earlier than we ever have done. Lots of fans had also followed the club’s requests but the lines at 2.20pm were already considerable, and irritation was growing.
Signs offering guidance to the old card system were not taken down, adding to the confusion for anyone experiencing this for the first time, and the car park was not fit for purpose as a waiting spot because it accommodates between 25 and 40 people before the queue starts curling around. This, in turn, made access to other parts of the stadium more difficult than it should be.
We got in, but there were stories about other supporters joining the queues 15 minutes later, those who were still waiting to enter the ground 10 minutes after the game had started. In one instance, more problems with phones led to a stand-off with stewards and in the end, a supporter decided to give up on his money and go home with his son. This, it is fair to say, is not an isolated example of frustrations experienced by Liverpool fans at Anfield so far this season.
One of the trade-offs has been the promise of affordable lager. On the concourse of the stands at Anfield, a pint currently costs £2.90: a considerable cut on previous prices. You would do well to find a cheaper pint anywhere else in Liverpool.
The club says it is only being fair to fans, given they are asking them to spend more of their day in the ground to ensure the new system works. Herein lies another debate, one that asks questions of Liverpool’s intentions given it is a club that operates in a real financial world and relies on revenues rather than cash injections to ensure its rude health.
Landlords are suspicious of the move, believing the club is attempting to not only corner the market through tempting offers but also to cut off competing peak trade time.
There are 23 pubs within a mile of Anfield and conservative estimates among those with interests in pubs suggest the smallest ones take in around £10,000 on any decent match-day and the bigger ones, closer to £15,000. Given that Liverpool has long wanted to boost match-day revenues by extending its footprint around the ground, knowing through basic mathematics that collectively pubs are making between £230,000 and £345,000 a match, landlords ask whether this is an attempt by Liverpool to shift the match-going experience while they have the chance. After all, such a sum of money, if recouped in its entirety, could pay the wages of a new signing that many fans are demanding.
Presently, three of the stands at Anfield do not have the facilities to drive such a profit. The lack of space is reflected by the stories of the fans who normally purchase food inside the stadium but so far this season have found it harder to get served because of the number of people lining up to take advantage of the beer offer.
Given Anfield Road will soon have a new extended stand time and also that the alcohol ban on all football stadiums in place since 1985 might be lifted following a fan-led review to allow spectators to drink in their seats, a balance might soon begin to swing in favour of football clubs like Liverpool, who would prefer it if their supporters spent their money on their own club rather than competing businesses.
This dynamic was captured in 2019, barely a month after Liverpool became European champions for the sixth time, when attempts were made to trademark the name Liverpool in relation to any materials that conflict with the football club’s brand, potentially impacting upon small but popular stall holders that operate on the streets around Anfield whenever there is a game. On that occasion, the club argued it was attempting to target counterfeit merchants in the Far East but surely someone should have known, not only how it would have been received locally, but also what it would have meant for competing traders.
Anfield has become one of the most popular tourist destinations on Merseyside, and this helps drive profitability towards other connected industries across the region, but several of the pubs near the ground are now closed during the week and rely on match-day trade. Changing attitudes towards drink and the tough economic position that many residents face living in an underprivileged part of the city have pushed down sales.
Liverpool’s long-held association with Carlsberg has made it easier to lower prices inside Anfield but since the start of this season, many of the landlords are unable to compete with such value because pubs are leased from breweries and their demands have not come down while this wider shift has happened.
It is feared if the pattern continues, some of the pubs near Anfield will have to shut their doors for good. This, one of the landlords suggests, could have a “catastrophic” impact on families in the area because such pubs have been staffed by the same local faces for generations. It is understandable why another landlord, who is not alone in being down by half of his takings this season, then asks, “Once everywhere is shut and there is no competition left, will the club put their beer prices back up?”
Spot-checks on supporters, who will be asked to present COVID-19 vaccination certificates, has the potential to slow the process of entering Anfield even more before Liverpool’s game with Manchester City this weekend. The presence and might of City remind of the challenges facing Liverpool, a club that has lost as much as £150 million in the pandemic and has a billionaire owner who chooses to allow his sporting interests to operate in a circle of profit and loss. For this to work better, has FSG’s hierarchy allowed those who represent the organisation on Merseyside to quietly declare war on surrounding businesses and, indeed, fan culture?
Liverpool dismissed this idea on Friday afternoon, suggesting the removal of food and drink containers around the ground as well as the closure of the fan park has the potential to drive supporters towards nearby eating spots and watering holes. While that would require fans to arrive even earlier under the current entry advice, The Athletic has discovered the club did not conduct an impact report in relation to the pubs before implementing the new system.
A review by Liverpool is expected to happen after the visit of City but for the time being, it is hard to see a way back for the same pubs if a match-day pattern that predates any living supporters’ relationship with the club ends up being broken, whether it is intentional or not. The new system means it is more difficult to meet before a game and friendships — in the middle of a pandemic — are being tested further because not everyone sits together, or even in the same stand.
One thing is certain — if the system continues to struggle and demands on supporters continue, the pubs will be vulnerable. If they close, where will everyone meet to celebrate a victory like the one over Palace once a game is finished? The landlords, especially, ask themselves whether there is a plan to capitalise on that eventuality.
