Liverpool Football Club has always been about a lot more than just football. Despite being a global club, arguably one of the most famous football clubs in the world, they remain tightly woven into the fabric of the local communities in and around the city of Liverpool. As it should be.
We want to spend a bit of time looking at the impact Liverpool FC has off the pitch. How the club works to create life changing opportunities for young people across the city and beyond. We’ll focus on the official charity of the club, The Liverpool FC Foundation, and the wide range of work that they do. We’ll finish up by looking at how you can attend a game at Anfield, and experience for yourself the electric atmosphere with the ultimate matchday experience – a Liverpool Hospitality Package.
What is the Liverpool FC Foundation?
According to the official website “being part of Liverpool Football Club means being part of the greatest football family in the world” – and when you are part of a family, you always look to help each other out. The LFC family is no different.
The Liverpool FC Foundation began in 2010 – former Liverpool player Brain Hall was instrumental in the establishing the community outreach, harnessing the passion for the club and galvanising support for this official charity, which is registered with the Charity Commission.
The goal of The Foundation was simple – to inspire positive, and lasting, change in the lives of people. To help people build a better life for themselves. They do this in four main ways:
Sporting Participation
They want to encourage people to be more active. We all know the wonderful things that sport can do, particularly in the lives of children. It can bring people together, help them develop new skills, form relationships, get a sense of teamwork and camaraderie , and can even lead to employment opportunities.
Improving life chances
Through employment, health and education programmes, the Liverpool FC Foundation aims to help people achieve their potential – maybe helping them realise that there are more options out there for them.
Inspiring social action
Social action has always been close to the core of Liverpool Football Club, and the Foundation looks to build on that, not just in the local area, but all over the world. You’ll find Liverpool fans in every corner of the globe, and the Foundation aims to empower these fans to make positive contributions in their local area.
Supporting other charities
The Liverpool FC Foundation supports a whole host of other charities, all over the world. Working with these partners, they help generate funds by donating Liverpool Football Club merchandise and memorabilia.
What does the Liverpool FC Foundation do?
So in practical terms, what does the LFC Foundation do? Well, there are nearly 40 different programmes running, all with a slightly different focus. We haven’t got the space to run through all of them here, so let’s just give you a flavour of what they offer.
Football coaching sessions
Throughout the Liverpool region, the LFC Foundation holds a host of different coaching sessions for boys and girls aged between 4 and 19. Each session is designed, not just to help the children develop their football skills, but also life skills. The wide range of sessions caters for players of all levels of ability, at 13 different centres throughout the city.
Premier League Kicks
Working with the Premier League Charitable Fund, the LFC Foundation runs a series of programmes every weekday, which help kids develop their footballing skills in some of the most high-need areas of England and Wales.
They have also just introduced the Premier League Kicks Academy, aimed at young adults between 18-24 who want to gain coaching qualifications. It’s a 12 week course, and on top of the practical lessons in how to coach football, participants will also learn skills to help them get a job, like CV writing and interview skills.
Health & Wellbeing programmes
The LFC Foundation also delivers a number of initiatives that work on the physical and mental well-being of children and adults, promoting everything from oral hygiene, to help for military veterans. For example, working in conjunction with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, the Move programme supports children with respiratory conditions, who might otherwise struggle with exercise.
Community engagement
Through the initiative Red Neighbours, which launched in 2016, the LFC Foundation employs a small team that has gone to great lengths to understand the main issues that affect the communities in the local area. They spoke to councils, headteachers, community leaders, churches and residents to understand how best they could help, and concluded that they would target four main areas: food poverty, social isolation, helping people get physically active and helping to create memorable experiences for young people.
Employability and training
The Foundation works with a number of partners, like the Premier League Charitable Fund and Liverpool City Council, to help provide programmes that will teach and encourage people looking for work. They will gain qualifications, learn about apprenticeship opportunities, get help writing CVs, and interview preparation. The aim here is to prepare young people as much as possible, and arm them with all the tools they need for success when they are looking for work.
What impact has the LFC Foundation had?
I think it’s fair to say that the LFC Foundation has changed the lives of young people all over the world. They have had more than 120,000 participants in their various initiatives, with 47% of those participants coming from the most deprived local authority wards. 89% of people reported an improvement in their mental wellbeing after taking part, and 90% reported an improvement in their physical health.
194 people volunteered in the community engagement programmes, giving up their time to help other members of their community. The Foundation isn’t just about helping people, it’s about inspiring people to do their bit, and bringing more people together.
In terms of the international reach, ‘Global Works’ initiatives have reached people in Ireland, New York, Thailand, Senegal and Tanzania.
The total ‘social value’ that the Foundation gave back to the local community, in just one year, was £88.75 million, and another £88.95 million to the global programmes. So many people benefit from the work of the LFC Foundation.
Anfield VIP Experiences and Hospitality Tickets
The LFC Foundation is yet another reason to support Liverpool Football Club. If you would like to join the legions of Reds fans at Anfield this season, then we can help you. There are a range of Liverpool hospitality packages available, so you can guarantee your place in the stands at a match of your choice. Here are a couple of the options:
Brodies Sports Bar
This fantastic new bar, part of the Anfield Road development, is the perfect place to mingle with fans before a big match. You’ll have access to the bar for up to three hours before kick off, where you can enjoy an extensive selection of complimentary street food, and you may even get to meet some former LFC legends while you’re there!
For the match, you’ll have an exclusive, padded seat in the Anfield Road Stand, in the first few rows of the Upper Tier – incredible views of the pitch, and the perfect place to watch all the action unfold. At half time, you can nip back into the bar for a complimentary drink, and then at the end of the game you will have access for another hour, where you can sit back and digest what you’ve witnessed amongst fellow fans.
Premier Club
The Premier Club is another great VIP package that combines great food, a vibrant atmosphere and quality entertainment.
Like with Brodies Sports Bar, you’ll have access to your dedicated lounge for up to three hours before kick off, and an hour afterwards. There you will enjoy an extensive two-course hot and cold buffet, as well as access to your exclusive cash bar.
For the match, you’ll have great seats in the upper Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, some of the best seats in the stadium to watch wave after wave of Liverpool attacks! You’ll also get a cup of tea or coffee at half time, and a complimentary matchday programme.
If you are interested in these hospitality packages, have a look through the list of upcoming fixtures and pick our your desired dates. Then, all you need to do is get in touch with us, and we’ll help you secure tickets for a fantastic day out at Anfield.
