Topic: COLFC Mother of Dragons. Stadium plans revealed.

[Nessy76]

City of Liverpool FC seek to give community a team of its own

http://gu.com/p/4cq7b
City of Liverpool FC seek to give community a team of its own
New ‘people’s club’ believes high ticket prices and demand for seats at Everton and Liverpool mean next generation is missing out on matchday experience
Follow contributor  Paul Wilson
Published: 10:30 BST Thu 1 October 2015
When the 225th Merseyside derby, sometimes also known as the most ill-disciplined and explosive fixture in the Premier League, takes place at Goodison on Sunday the football season can properly be said to be under way. Never mind that another disruptive international break is just around the corner and that seasons these days are such stop-start affairs they seem to take an age to get going, Everton v Liverpool is always the real deal.

That is not to say the football is always great because often it can be ordinary. And it may be fair to point out that in terms of actual importance, or relevance to title campaigns, there is usually more at stake when the two Manchester teams meet now, or two of the big three teams in London. But everyone enjoys a Merseyside derby. Stuff happens that gets remembered for years, whether it is Gordon West being presented with a handbag in the 60s, Sandy Brown’s screamer of an own goal a few years later, Robbie Fowler snorting the whitewash and Gérard Houllier hilariously attempting to suggest there was an innocent explanation or, a personal recent favourite, Luis Suárez celebrating a goal by racing to the halfway line to dive at the feet of a bug-eyed David Moyes.

It may be an exaggeration to suggest Merseyside derbies crackle with authentic, pre-Premier League, pre-all seater atmosphere because football watching everywhere is a far more sedate, sanitised activity than it used to be 30 or 40 years ago. But Liverpudlians can get closer than most, for the simple reason that football means so much to the city. Liverpool produces an astonishing number of schools champions, successful Sunday amateur teams and players at all levels of the game.

Go to practically any club in the north-west, and sometimes beyond, and you are bound to find scousers either playing or managing. To give one brief example, when Fleetwood were elevated to the League a few years ago they kept their old training ground at the south end of Blackpool, rather than move to better facilities closer to home, because they had such a large number of players coming up by train from Liverpool. The Liverpudlian enthusiasm for football, for playing it, coaching it or just watching it, keeps a lot of clubs going well beyond the city boundaries.

So much so, in fact, that plans are afoot to create a new team in the city centre. A third team, if you like, with all respect to Tranmere Rovers. Several enthusiasts have got together and decided Everton and Liverpool are not fully tapping into the passion for the game that surges through the city. Very few scousers play for either side nowadays for a start.

Everton and Liverpool have to compete in the Premier League and like everyone else they have to look around the world for the best talent they can afford. It is great when a local prodigy such as Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard comes along, but it is the exception rather than the rule. It is not Everton or Liverpool’s role to showcase homegrown players. But the people behind the new City of Liverpool FC project think someone should be doing that, and not just the cluster of non-league outfits that ring the city, from Marine in the north to Prescot and Runcorn in the east.

At the moment the actual city centre has no clubs other than the two professional ones. CoLFC believe that because of the ticket prices and demand for seats at Everton and Liverpool the next generation of football followers is missing out on the matchday experience and a team to call their own. Over the last quarter of a century or so top-level football has changed from being an everyday experience that most sections of society could afford to enjoy, to something more like an occasional treat. As Stuart Fitzgerald, an Evertonian and a founder of CoLFC explains, taking his family to a match at Goodison these days costs over £200 just for tickets so it is not something most people can contemplate every week.

What Fitzgerald and his associates plan to do is launch a new club in the North West Counties League next season as a social enterprise. Non-profit-making and based in the city centre, a people’s club (sorry, Everton) owned by the fans as an expression of pride in the city. It has already been decided City of Liverpool will play in purple – because that is the civic colour, not just because it is a handy fudge between red and blue – and discussions are already in hand with the council to find a suitable venue from which to start out.

One of the models for all this is FC United of Manchester, who have achieved such a degree of success in the last 10 years they have just moved into a purpose-built stadium. “That just shows what can be done through people power,” Fitzgerald says. “Leaving inter-city rivalry aside for a moment we can only applaud what FCUM have brought about, though there are a couple of significant differences between that story and what we are trying to do. First, we are not a protest movement. We don’t have anything against Everton or Liverpool, except perhaps their ticket prices; in fact we are already working with them. And second, though FCUM is great for United fans, it actually excludes the City supporters in Manchester. We are not for one team or the other, we just want to promote football in Liverpool at a good standard but an affordable level. Because that is what the city deserves.”

Who could disagree? If the CoLFC project runs half as efficiently as their website , already up and running and counting down the days to the team’s first match, non-league football in Liverpool could be about to experience a makeover. Quite possibly a purple patch.

[Michel]

Liverpool United.

[Anywhichwayicant]

Purple kits?

[Nessy76]

Purple kits?

Wheelie good idea. Should have bin thought of before.

[redan]

Wheelie good idea. Should have bin thought of before.

Why do people keep Recycling bad puns?

It's such a Waste of time

[Red Beret]

What's wrong with AFC Liverpool?

[Nessy76]

Why do people keep Recycling bad jokes this?

It's such a Waste of time

They'll only play every two weeks because of the cuts.

[Walshy nMe®]

Purple kits?

AFC Aki

[Nessy76]

AFC Aki

New club already has a ready made mascot/physio there if they get on the phone.

[Oddball]

What's wrong with AFC Liverpool?

First thing I thought of when reading the article!

[Nessy76]

They want to appeal to Bluenoses more than AFC does.

[Statto Red]

How about just Liverpool City FC, with the kit being Red & Blue stripes/hoops.

[Billy Elliot]

What's wrong with AFC Liverpool?

They're thought of as 'Little Liverpool'.  We even have their highlights on the main website.

The idea of AFC Liverpool being a stance against modern day football got a bit  lost somewhere.

[Billy Elliot]

How about just Liverpool City FC, with the kit being Red & Blue stripes/hoops.

The idea of it is to have no connection whatsoever to either Liverpool or Everton.  Purple is the civic colour of the City of Liverpool as the article said.

[oojason]

What's wrong with AFC Liverpool?

A proverbial can of worms that mate.

Unfortunately there seems to a fair number of things wrong with AFCL - lack of communication to fans/owners/members being the main one, some seemingly big decisions being made by the board with little or no communication or input with the fans.

Hopefully the club will address these issues (and more) - as the aim of AFC is still there - to provide affordable footy for those priced out of the game (£5 adults, £3 seniors, £2 for U18s - the same prices as in 2008 when the club first played). And again - hopefully - they'll soon be playing in the Liverpool City boundaries at their own ground too.

As a fan-owned and fan-run club? For me, it doesn't feel like that anymore - no doubt others feel differently.


Probably best we stick to City Of Liverpool FC in this thread though mate - wish both only the best.



There is some pretty interesting stuff up on the COLFC website - including a map of the local non-league teams and where they play - none in the City boundary:-




http://www.colfc.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/cityoflpoolfc

https://www.facebook.com/City-of-Liverpool-FC-1736356336591470/timeline/

[stevo7]

Was reading up on this the other day when I saw a link in the tickets thread.

As you can see from the map bugger all in the south end since the fall of South Liverpool FC.
I don't know why they couldn't just invest in them?

[Redman0151]

Forza Marine!!

In all seriousness, wish them all the best, would love something like this to take off properly. Can see these things growing as more and more get sick of getting fucked over by Prem clubs

[Nessy76]

Still weird to see Tranmere as a non-league club.

Yes, there's an obvious gap for a non-league club within the city boundaries. Don't know what AFCL have done to try and get a new ground inside the limits, but obviously building even a 1,000 seater stadium in the city itself is going to be tricky and expensive. I wonder what sites COLFC has in mind?

[stevo7]

Still weird to see Tranmere as a non-league club.

Yes, there's an obvious gap for a non-league club within the city boundaries. Don't know what AFCL have done to try and get a new ground inside the limits, but obviously building even a 1,000 seater stadium in the city itself is going to be tricky and expensive. I wonder what sites COLFC has in mind?

Hopefully a stadium down South. AFC Liverpool played in Huyton now in Crosby - wools.

[Retro Red]

https://soundcloud.com/city-talk-breakfast/the-big-idea-city-of-liverpool-fc

[Red Beret]

They want to appeal to Bluenoses more than AFC does.

So will we call the supporters purplenoses?

[CornerFlag]

I don't really get the real need or appeal for it.

[Nessy76]

I don't really get the real need or appeal for it.

There are people who would like to go to more matches, but can't afford to.

[Lad]

Apparently blues aren't keen because the word Liverpool is in the title. Liverton anyone.

[AA1122]

On a bit of a tangent...

When the groundshare debate was in full flow, I always thought it might be good to have say a smart 15,000 capacity stadium built on the docks. The idea being that both teams' under 21s could play there. Charge a fiver in and try to get the games on the same weekday regularly. Provide an alternative for people priced out of the game. Another idea behind it being that you could buy a season ticket for the stadia and watch Everton Under 21s one week and Liverpool the next. Hopefully this would bring back links to the city's footballing roots as fans of both sides could see the young players develop. Be a good environment for young players, to play in a nice stadium in front of decent crowds and a bit of atmosphere.

But yes, I can see the rationale behind a City of Liverpool FC. Not sure it's a necessity, but it's as good an idea as any.

[oojason]

On a bit of a tangent...

When the groundshare debate was in full flow, I always thought it might be good to have say a smart 15,000 capacity stadium built on the docks. The idea being that both teams' under 21s could play there. Charge a fiver in and try to get the games on the same weekday regularly. Provide an alternative for people priced out of the game. Another idea behind it being that you could buy a season ticket for the stadia and watch Everton Under 21s one week and Liverpool the next. Hopefully this would bring back links to the city's footballing roots as fans of both sides could see the young players develop. Be a good environment for young players, to play in a nice stadium in front of decent crowds and a bit of atmosphere.

But yes, I can see the rationale behind a City of Liverpool FC. Not sure it's a necessity, but it's as good an idea as any.

Decent idea that - plus both club's women's teams, the County FA, local grassroots leagues' finals, Schools finals, and maybe community hire too etc if it was a quality 3G pitch. Great travel links - and local pubs and shops would benefit too.

[Retro Red]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/its-official-city-liverpool-fc-10453513

[B0151?]

I don't really get the real need or appeal for it.

Non-league footy is boss, I'd prefer to take my hypothetical kids to it than a Liverpool game sadly. There's a ton of non-league clubs in and near the Manchester area, be nice if we could match them.

I think it's good for football as a sport, and it's a good way of really connecting with the local community too.

[Skeeve]

Non-league footy is boss, I'd prefer to take my hypothetical kids to it than a Liverpool game sadly. There's a ton of non-league clubs in and near the Manchester area, be nice if we could match them.

I think it's good for football as a sport, and it's a good way of really connecting with the local community too.

I think his point was more about the need for another one, while not actually within the city limits it is not like there aren't plenty of others. If that was something that was particularly needed then one obvious option would seem to be to get one of the others to relocate.

[Nessy76]

I think his point was more about the need for another one, while not actually within the city limits it is not like there aren't plenty of others. If that was something that was particularly needed then one obvious option would seem to be to get one of the others to relocate.

Or possibly just go and watch South Liverpool, who already exist and play in the City at non-league level?

[B0151?]

I think his point was more about the need for another one, while not actually within the city limits it is not like there aren't plenty of others. If that was something that was particularly needed then one obvious option would seem to be to get one of the others to relocate.

I just think the more the better mate, whether it sinks or swims will be the ultimate judge of whether it's needed.

[Peabee]

Non-league footy is boss, I'd prefer to take my hypothetical kids to it than a Liverpool game sadly. There's a ton of non-league clubs in and near the Manchester area, be nice if we could match them.

I think it's good for football as a sport, and it's a good way of really connecting with the local community too.

Ah, they grow up fast these hypothetical kids, don't they? 

[BarryCrocker]

Maybe we could flog them these?

[Retro Red]

Maybe we could flog them these?

A business opportunity Baz!

http://www.colfc.co.uk/tenders/

[Retro Red]

http://nwcfl.com/news-articles.php?id=4805

[elsewhere]

Dinamo Liverpool or Lokomotiv Liverpool?

[Retro Red]

The first members' meeting is being held in Liverpool on 15/02/2016 at Jack Jones House (the old TGWU building), Churchill Way.

As this is a "members only" meeting, can existing members go to their webcollect account (http://www.webcollect.org.uk) and claim a ticket if they plan to attend? Tickets are free, but this way we can gauge what we will need in terms of room size and facilities.

At the meeting we will be explaining in detail where we are up to and what the plans are (including the progress made on our own ground, the manager, the team) all the exciting stuff as we get ready for our first season.

If you're not a member yet and you want to join and be at the meeting, then go to http://www.colfc.co.uk/memberships

[Retro Red]

Manager/Reserve Team Manager Vacancies:

http://www.colfc.co.uk/vacancies/

[Retro Red]

Blog:

http://www.colfc.co.uk/blog/

Commemorative shirts for sale:

http://www.colfc.co.uk/merchandise/

[Retro Red]

www.colfc.co.uk/memberships