Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. A staggering number of men – 84 – take their own lives in the UK every week. Eighty four. Most of those fit the same age demographic as match-going fans.
In recent weeks, an alarmingly large number of members and supporters have contacted Spirit of Shankly regarding issues at the match. These have been both personal and witnessed. Incidents have been wide-ranging, including suspension or revoking of tickets due to allegations of using foul language, behaviour during the game and alleged misuse of tickets.
Following yesterday's Champions League quarter-final draw, Spirit Of Shankly and Spion Kop 1906 are calling on both clubs to do the right thing by their fans. Given the escalated ticket prices for travelling supporters so far in this season’s competition, there is an opportunity here to send a strong statement on the value of supporters beyond money.
The success of modern-day Liverpool FC was built on the work of Bill Shankly and his players. As Steven Gerrard himself said in the recent Shankly film 'Nature's Fire', if it wasn't for Shankly and his players, there would not have been a club like LFC on his doorstep to sign for.
Last year, LFC announced a change to their supporter engagement. Alongside the appointment of Tony Barrett as Head of Club and Supporter Liaison, they established five fan forums to consult and engage on issues that affect us. Spirit of Shankly have representatives on each of these forums and, as always, we will continue to put forward the views of our members and fan interests.
Time tends to pass fairly quickly, and against the history of Liverpool FC, a decade isn’t much. Today, 31 January, marks 10 years since a meeting in The Sandon pub of 350 supporters. Angry at Tom Hicks and George Gillett burdening the club with debt and more, we met to discuss passionately what we should do.
In solidarity with the people of Huddersfield, Spirit of Shankly are appealing to Liverpool fans travelling to the John Smith's Stadium on Tuesday 30 January to lend their support to the area's local foodbank.
It is hard to believe it is 10 years since Spirit of Shankly was founded. A decade on, we want to look back on what we have achieved, celebrate the successes, and reminisce.
When LFC published the selling details for our away Champions League fixture against Porto, we noted with interest that the price of tickets had been omitted. We were extremely concerned to see that the club were “in discussions with UEFA to clarify the pricing structure for this game”.
Fans Supporting Foodbanks is a joint initiative between Spirit of Shankly and EST1878 recognising that hunger on Merseyside does not wear club colours.
