Sons of Shankly Liverpool fans band together in season-end fundraiser

Mar 22 2008 by Mike Chapple, Liverpool Daily Post

SONS of Shankly – the union representing fans of Liverpool FC – is to hold an end-of-season party featuring the best of the city’s bands.

The fundraising celebration will take place at the city’s Olympia venue on West Derby Road as the country’s first trade union-styled representation for fans of a specific club begins to step up a gear, said its chairman Nicky Allt.

“We were fed up with all these players having a ‘do’ and thought it was about time that we should have an end-of-season one all of our own,” said Mr Allt, who helped set up the union in protest at the club’s takeover by the Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

The union claims the takeover will ultimately put LFC in great financial jeopardy.

The group was spawned after it was revealed that the American owners could offload the £30m annual interest on to the club from the renegotiated £350m loan they used to buy it. There was anger too when it was revealed that a secret approach had been made to former German national coach Jurgen Klinsmann with a view to him replacing current manager Rafael Benitez.

Proceeds from the Olympia party – scheduled for either May 3 or after Liverpool’s last game of the season away to Spurs on May 10 – will help to fund the union’s activities. These include a proposed boycott of LFC merchandise while the Americans are still in charge.

Mr Allt said: “We’ve got to hit him where it really hurts – his pocket. The debt on Liverpool FC, the debt he is responsible for, the debt that buys him the club, is all going to be paid back with interest from the revenues collected from the money the fans spend. We are essentially buying the club for him”

He admitted, however, that such a radical policy had caused some fans to question the union’s aims.

He said: “The problem we’ve currently got became apparent at the protest we staged at the Reading game which came as part of a really good run by the team. People were saying we’re winning so what are you moaning about? But that’s really not the point.”

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