Fans Supporting Foodbanks
Hunger doesn't wear club colours.
Fans Supporting Foodbanks is a partnership between supporters of Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C., launched in 2015 to address food poverty in Liverpool. The initiative supplies about a quarter of all food donations to food banks in north Liverpool and has helped create a wider network of fan-run food banks across the UK. It is seen as a model of progressive fan activism.
The group was formed by Liverpool fan Ian Byrne and Everton fans Dave Kelly and Robbie Daniels, working through the Everton Supporters' Trust and the Spirit of Shankly supporters' union. They were motivated by rising food poverty linked to the UK government’s austerity programme that began in 2010. Inspired by Celtic F.C.’s fan group The Green Brigade, they started collecting food in wheelie bins outside pubs on matchdays. Both Liverpool and Everton clubs have backed the effort strongly. Collections happen at home games, and the group also brings food to donate to rival fans’ food banks during away matches, as a gesture of solidarity. Their motto is: “Hunger doesn’t wear club colours.”
In 2018, Liverpool’s chief executive Peter Moore donated a vehicle through his foundation. The group’s purple van—a blend of the two clubs’ colours—transports food donations from across the city and appears outside Anfield and Goodison Park on matchdays. That August, the Liverpool podcast and fanzine The Anfield Wrap commissioned a mural of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold by French graffiti artist Akse, dedicated to Fans Supporting Foodbanks, located on Sybil Road near Anfield.
Ahead of the 2019 general election, co-founder Ian Byrne was selected as Labour’s candidate for Liverpool West Derby and won the seat on 12 December 2019 with 77.6% of the vote. In November 2020, the group launched a mobile community food pantry.
The initiative sees its work as a counter to far-right-linked fan groups like the Football Lads Alliance. It partners with religious and ethnic minority groups for joint collections and events to break down community barriers. In 2018, it invited fans to World Cup screenings at the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque. Journalist Ash Sarkar wrote in The Guardian that the effort shows football need not be a space for racism or Islamophobia, and that addressing local economic conditions can unite divided communities and limit far-right organising.
- Founded
- 2015
- Field
- Food bank initiative, anti-poverty activism
- Known for
- Providing a quarter of food donations to north Liverpool food banks; mobilizing football fans against food poverty
Lore & Background
Fans Supporting Foodbanks was founded in 2015 by Liverpool fan Ian Byrne and Everton fans Dave Kelly and Robbie Daniels, in response to rising food poverty linked to the UK government's austerity programme from 2010. Taking inspiration from Celtic F.C. fan group The Green Brigade, the initiative began collecting food donations in wheelie-bins outside pubs on matchdays. Both Liverpool and Everton football clubs have shown strong support, and the group brings food to donate to rival fans' foodbanks during away fixtures as a show of solidarity.
In 2018, Liverpool F.C. chief executive Peter Moore donated a vehicle through his foundation, and the group's purple van—a mix of the two clubs' colours—transports food donations across the city. In August of that year, Liverpool podcast and fanzine The Anfield Wrap commissioned a mural of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold by French graffiti artist Akse, dedicated to Fans Supporting Foodbanks, located on Sybil Road near Anfield Stadium. In November 2020, the group launched a mobile community food pantry.
Fans Supporting Foodbanks considers its work a response to football fan groups with links to the far-right, such as the Football Lads Alliance. It partners with religious and ethnic minority groups to organize joint collections and events, including inviting fans to screenings of World Cup games at the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group set up a new food distribution hub, coordinated production of personal protective equipment for NHS and care workers, and encouraged supporters to boycott Premier League pay-per-view matches, raising over £100,000 for foodbanks.
Reader's Guide
Fans Supporting Foodbanks represents a significant shift in football fan culture, channeling the passion of rival supporters into collective action against food poverty. By bridging the divide between Liverpool and Everton fans, the initiative demonstrates that football can be a force for social solidarity rather than division. Its model has inspired a network of fan-driven food banks across the UK, showing how grassroots activism can address systemic issues like austerity-driven poverty. The group's work countering far-right influence in football, through partnerships with religious and ethnic minority communities, further underscores its broader social impact. The campaign for the Right to Food to be written into UK law, which led to Liverpool City Council unanimously voting to support it in January 2021, marks a lasting legacy in policy advocacy. Fans Supporting Foodbanks remains a key example of how fan organizations can leverage their collective identity for progressive change.
Did You Know?
- Fans Supporting Foodbanks provides a quarter of all food donations to north Liverpool food banks.
- The group's purple van is a mix of Liverpool and Everton's club colours.
- In 2020, Fans Supporting Foodbanks raised over £100,000 by encouraging fans to boycott Premier League pay-per-view matches and donate instead.
- Liverpool City Council unanimously voted to support the Right to Food being enshrined in law in January 2021, making Liverpool the UK's first 'Right to Food' city.
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