Club Founding in 1892

Lore & Background

Liverpool were founded following a dispute between the Everton committee and John Houlding, club president and owner of the land at Anfield. After eight years at the stadium, Everton relocated across Stanley Park to their new stadium of Goodison Park in 1892, and Houlding founded Liverpool F.C. to play at Anfield. Originally named 'Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd' (Everton Athletic for short), the club became Liverpool F.C. in March 1892, before The Football Association refused to recognise the name 'Everton'. Liverpool played their first match on 1 September 1892: a pre-season friendly match against Rotherham Town which they won 7–1. The team Liverpool fielded against Rotherham was composed entirely of Scottish players; the players who came from Scotland to play in England in those days were known as the Scotch Professors. Manager John McKenna had recruited the players after a scouting trip to Scotland—so they became known as the 'team of Macs'. The team won the Lancashire League in its debut season and joined the Football League Second Division at the start of the 1893–94 season. After the club was promoted to the First Division in 1896, Tom Watson was appointed manager. He led Liverpool to its first league title in 1901, and won the league again in 1906.

In Their Own Story

On a grey afternoon in March 1892, the cobblestones of Walton Breck Road were slick with rain. Inside the committee room, tension hung heavy as John Houlding stared down at the eviction notice that had just been read aloud. With Everton walking out, he faced a choice: surrender his stadium or build something new. He turned to the few loyalists remaining, resolve hardening in his eyes. 'If Everton will not play here, then we shall play under a new name.' In that moment, amidst the dust of the old ground and the shadow of Goodison, the seed was sown for a club destined to conquer Europe.

Reader's Guide

Liverpool is one of the most valuable and widely supported clubs in the world. Domestically, the club has won a joint-record twenty league titles, eight FA Cups, a record ten League Cups and sixteen FA Community Shields. In international competitions, the club has won six European Cups, three UEFA Cups, four UEFA Super Cups—all English records—and one FIFA Club World Cup. Liverpool established itself as a major force in domestic football in the 1960s under Bill Shankly, before becoming perennial title challengers at home and abroad under Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish who led the club to a combined eleven league titles and four European Cups through the 1970s and 80s. Liverpool won two further European Cups in 2005 and 2019 under the management of Rafael Benítez and Jürgen Klopp, respectively; the latter led Liverpool to a nineteenth league title in 2020, the club's first during the Premier League era. Following Klopp's departure in 2024, Arne Slot guided Liverpool to a twentieth league title in 2025. Already nicknamed the Reds, it was under Shankly that the team first adopted the distinctive all-red home strip which has been used ever since. Also adopted under Shankly's tenure was the club's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. The Reds compete in the local Merseyside derby against Everton, often referred as the Blues. As the two most decorated clubs in England, and inter-city rivals, Liverpool also has a long-standing rivalry with Manchester United.

Did You Know?

• Liverpool's first match was a 7–1 win against Rotherham Town on 1 September 1892.
• The club's first manager, John McKenna, recruited an entire team of Scottish players known as the 'team of Macs'.
• Liverpool won its first league title in 1901, five seasons after joining the top flight.
• The club's all-red home strip and anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' were adopted under Bill Shankly.
• Liverpool has won six European Cups, an English record.