Today started relatively early with a buffet breakfast at the Holiday Inn before driving to Anfield, home of my beloved Liverpool Football Club, for a tour of the stadium (the girls went to the Beatles Story, which was apparently very interesting, though you’ll have to ask them about it for more information). Built in 1884, Liverpool FC played their first game there in 1892 and it has been their home ever since. Over the years it has welcomed 18 league titles, 7 FA Cups, 7 League Cups, and 5 European Cups - an overall record unmatched by any other team in England!
Our tour started in the Legends Lounge, which is a press lounge whose walls are covered with pictures of past players and managers. Then came the Press Room, which houses post-game interviews and other major press conferences. It is located in the old Boot Room, which was where the players and managers would meet to discuss matches during the club's glory days of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. What you can't tell from pictures and televised coverage is how small the room is: there are no more than thirty seats and the ceilings are low. Very modest and very atmospheric!
Next came the home and away dressings rooms, which if anything were even more of a surprise than the Press Room had been. Because of the age of the stadium and the limited space, they consist of little more than a bench for the players to sit on and a pair of physiotherapy tables. This is very different from North American professional sports facilities where each player has their own locker/closet/seat area, and was very refreshing to see (even though we all know how much money these players make).
Last but not least was the walk through the tunnel onto the pitch, where we sat in the home dugout and in the famous "Kop" stand. As I'm writing this after the fact, I can say that seeing the inside of the stadium was one of the highlights of the trip. The pitch itself was as flat as can be, and you could feel the history as you sat in the seats (some of which are still the original wooden ones).
The Kop (named after a 1900 battle in the Second Boer War) is where the most dedicated supporters sit (or stand) during home matches. Throughout its history it has been one of the most famous stands in the world, and the songs you hear during matches usually start there. Next step for me: attend a match!
On the way out of the stadium we passed the turnstiles where match-goers enter the stadium, and as you can see from the picture, they are very narrow. They clearly haven't been updated since the early 1900s, and could very well by the club's own way of combating obesity.
Once the tour was over we went through the club museum, visited the extensive and reasonably-priced shop, and had lunch at the Boot Room Café in the stadium before starting the journey south to Oxfordshire. There was a fair bit of congestion on the motorway so we ventured onto the smaller roads for the first time and spent the afternoon winding our way through the glorious English countryside. We stopped in Stow-on-Wold for a quick dinner and pulled into Asthall Farm in Kencot just after sunset. Our charming little cottage is in an old barn, and has a traditional galley kitchen, a combined living/dining area, and a loft with two bedrooms. Very cozy and quintessentially English (or at least I’m told it is).
Tomorrow will be another early start (I plan on making every day an early start so we can see as much as possible) as we head to Coventry and Rugby.
GWV
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