The Kop

Lore & Background

The first recorded reference to a sports terrace as 'Kop' related to Woolwich Arsenal's Manor Ground in 1904, four years after the Second Boer War. A local newsman likened the silhouette of fans standing on a newly raised bank of earth to soldiers standing atop the hill at the Battle of Spion Kop. Two years later in 1906, Liverpool Echo sports editor Ernest Edwards noted of a new open-air embankment at Anfield: 'This huge wall of earth has been termed "Spion Kop", and no doubt this apt name will always be used in future in referring to this spot.' After Liverpool had won their second League title in 1906, a new stand was built along the Walton Breck Road. Designed by architect Archibald Leitch, it was originally referred to as the Oakfield Road Embankment before it was formally renamed Spion Kop the same year. While it resembled the hill it was named after, it was also used in honour of the many Liverpudlians who died in the Battle of Spion Kop between 23 January and 24 January 1900. The use of the name for the stand was given recognition at Anfield in 1928 when it was extended to a 27,000 capacity. A cantilever roof was later added in 1963, which amplified the roar of the crowd to create an intense atmosphere. Traditionally, Liverpool's most vocal supporters congregate in this stand and are referred to as Kopites. Such is the reputation of the stand that it was claimed that the crowd in the Kop could suck the ball into the goal and it has become one of the most famous football stands in the world. Liverpool's 1920s championship winning goalkeeper Elisha Scott, whose spectacular saves generated as much adulation as a Liverpool goal, made a point of thanking the Kop in his leaving speech in 1934: 'Last, but not least, my friends of the Kop. I cannot thank them sufficiently. They have inspired me.' Manager Bill Shankly made reference to the Kop when speaking about his connection with Liverpool supporters: 'I'm just one of the people who stands on the Kop. They think the same as I do, and I think the same as they do'. Liverpool's Spion Kop (capacity 27,000, although crowds of 30,000+ have been recorded) was redesigned in 1994 (completed) to comply with requirements of the Taylor Report, which made all-seater stadiums obligatory in the highest two divisions of English football. A new Spion Kop was built in its place with approximately 11,000 seats (later adjuste

In Their Own Story

The air inside Anfield is thick with anticipation, a palpable tension that only exists in these moments before kick-off. Inside the Kop, the sea of red is a single, breathing organism. As the players emerge from the tunnel, a hush falls over the crowd, followed instantly by the first, tentative notes of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. Within seconds, it swells into a roar that shakes the very foundations of the stadium, vibrating through the soles of the thousands standing in the aisles. A veteran supporter, gripping the railing for forty years, closes his eyes as the song reaches its crescendo, tears mixing with the rain on his face. He isn't just watching a game; he is part of a ritual older than memory, where every voice merges into one, echoing the promise that no matter the result, they will never walk alone.

Reader's Guide

The size and location of 'a Kop' stand in the stadium varies; most are located behind the goal and are occupied by its club's most vocal supporters. It is usually a single-tiered stand and was traditionally terraced. In England, safety regulations brought into effect after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster required many to be made all-seated. A Kop is not necessarily the largest stand in the stadium and does not have to have a particularly large capacity; for example, Chesterfield's former stadium, Saltergate, had a Kop with a capacity of only a few thousand.

Did You Know?

• The first recorded reference to a sports terrace as 'Kop' was at Woolwich Arsenal's Manor Ground in 1904, not at Anfield.
• The Kop at Anfield was originally called the Oakfield Road Embankment before being formally renamed Spion Kop in 1906.
• The 1928 extension gave the Kop a capacity of 27,000, though crowds of over 30,000 have been recorded.
• The modern all-seater Kop at Anfield opened in 1994 with 12,390 seats, making it the largest single-tier stand in the country at the time.