What: Shankly Cup 2025
When: Saturday 28 June, kick-off from 12 noon | Event expected to finish by 6pm
Where: Wyncote Sports Ground, Mather Avenue, Mossley Hill, Liverpool

THE Shankly Cup returns for its third year – and for the first time, the tournament will be staged in Liverpool.

Organised by Spirit of Shankly – Liverpool Supporters Union, the event brings together eight Under-13 teams from across the UK and Ireland to celebrate football, community and the enduring legacy of Bill Shankly.

This year’s competing teams are:

• Cumnock Juniors and Stewarton Annick (East Ayrshire, Scotland)
• Lucan United (Dublin, Ireland)
• Connah’s Quay Nomads (Wales)
• Steven Gerrard Academy, Marshalls, Marine and Kingsley United (Liverpool)

The tournament follows a group stage into knockout format, with finals played for both The Shankly Cup and Shankly Shield.

The 2022 and 2024 editions were hosted in Cumnock, East Ayrshire, and included visits to Glenbuck, birthplace of Shankly. Former Liverpool striker and Shankly signing Bobby Graham presented medals last year. Previous winners include Kingsthorne Warriors, Stewarton Annick, Dynamo Childwall and Thomas Lane Tigers.

Ahead of this year’s matches, visiting players will be welcomed to Liverpool with a Friday training session led by Steven Gerrard Academy coaches, followed by a tour of Anfield, Goodison Park and some of the city’s iconic football landmarks, hosted by Peter Carney and Soccer in the City.

The 2025 tournament will be officially opened by George Sephton, the Voice of Anfield, who retires this season after more than 50 years behind the mic at Liverpool FC.

Games will be refereed by EFL-standard officials. Each team will receive a commemorative pennant, and the winners will be presented with a Shankly statue by acclaimed sculptor Tom Murphy, the artist behind the famous statue outside The Kop at Anfield.

Karen Gill, Bill Shankly’s granddaughter and a patron of Spirit of Shankly, will be in attendance, alongside Paul Khan, Chair of the Union, and Barbara Alexander, Shankly’s niece, who will help present the trophies.

“Shankly’s legacy has created an unbreakable bond between East Ayrshire and Liverpool,” said Stephen Monaghan, a long-standing member of Spirit of Shankly and the driving force behind the creation of the tournament.

“His values — fairness, unity, hard work — still matter, and the tournament is about more than results. It’s about what the game can do for people.”

Food and drink will be available on site and spectators are welcome. Donations to Fans Supporting Foodbanks will be collected on the day, and local volunteers will support the event from start to finish.

Parking is available at Wyncote Sports Ground. In the event the car park is full, Tesco car park nearby can be used without time limit or penalty.

Fixtures and live results: tournify.uk/live/shanklycup

Notes to editors:

• Spirit of Shankly was established in 2008 and is recognised as the first football supporters’ union in the UK.
• The union’s work includes campaigning, representation and community activity. Member funding supports initiatives totalling more than £10,000 a month, including support for foodbanks, youth football, mental health provision and more.
• The Shankly Cup was devised by Stephen Monaghan, a member of Spirit of Shankly, and has previously been held in Cumnock, East Ayrshire in 2022 and 2024.