Mods if you could move this to the right place that would be great.
As the dust begins to finally clear on Liverpool's ownership debacle, there is another issue at the club that I would like to address. Any time you watch classic footage of Liverpool from the 1970s or 1980s, you notice an astonishing amount of kids sitting on the Kop. These days, however, the number is dwindling as the Premier League continues to amplify the price of a match ticket at astonishing rates. To me, one of the saddest sights of modern football is the Kop on a Saturday afternoon with no kids between the ages of 10-15. This grandstand is a place of scouse culture, and kids who live from a stone's throw from the stadium are simply unable to afford a ticket. It is absolutely incredible the amount of stories I have heard about kids living within a few blocks from the stadium, but sadly, have never been to a game at Anfield.
And, in a lot of ways, that's what the Anfield crowd might be missing: more Scouse flavor. I am not trying to open up an OOT debate trust me, as a matter of fact, I am an OOC myself. What happened to the days when the Kop was full of kids, able to sing their hearts out every week. They learned about their city and their culture on match day, instead of sitting at home watching the game on the tele or playing video games.
That's why I am proposing a program be established that would allow kids from the area to get into games on Saturdays and Sundays. This is the perfect time for an organization like this to be established. We have (knock on wood) new ownership which is dedicated to keeping the local feel of the club alive. In Boston, the Red Sox allocate a significant amount of tickets to schools close to Fenway to allow kids to go to the games even though tickets have been jacked up through the roof over the last few years. In many ways, baseball and football are very similar. Baseball used to be the sport of the middle class, and my family has told me you used to be able to get into games with a cereal box top. However, these days, commercial greed has set in, and a Saturday afternoon at the ballpark will run you $300 for a family instead of $20. The Red Sox are now a world famous club after coming back from 3-0 down in the ALCS they have become an international brand. People flock from around the world to see inside historic Fenway Park, and the owners love it because they are willing to pay more than local fans. In this atmosphere, John Henry and co. are still working very hard to make sure local kids make it to the stadium, and there are many charities in Boston helping kids get to see the Red Sox. Even if it just means on game per season, that is one unforgettable moment where that kid is in the stadium, part of the atmosphere, learning about the history and values of the team from the season ticket holder sitting behind them.
And so, maybe a Kids On The Kop campaign would be a good idea for the club. The organization could work with the club to reach out to the local community and find kids who have never truly experienced a Liverpool game before. Perhaps the club would be able to donate some tickets, and perhaps the organization could collect donations from different Liverpool-associated operations to get it started. Maybe even a few season ticket holders who have been going to games since the 1970s and 1980s could take these kids, teach them the songs, etc.....really get them involved in the atmosphere of the game. Every year, it seems there are less and less young kids at the games, which is a sad statement on modern football. But at the same time, maybe we can work within the system to help kids who live in the Anfield district get to one game per year. And not only are you helping preserve a piece of scouse culture, you're also helping pump up the atmosphere in the grounds, because Lord knows kids love to yell and scream, especially at sporting events. Many games on Saturdays and Sundays against the Fulhams and Sunderlands and Portsmouths of the league are downright dire in terms of atmosphere, and I think this would help, even if it was just 10-20 kids. And you're truly impacting a kid's life forever, and getting him off his lazy arse for a change.
Like I said, mods please move this to where it would be appropriate. This is just a brainstorm, a thread to get the ball rolling in a lot of ways.
Cheers
