Ok, I have to start with an embarrassing admission - I have never seen a match live at Anfield!
I used to watch away games in the midlands when I lived in Leicester as a kid and in London as a young man, but I never made it to our home. Since I moved to Berlin, the idea has become a distant dream.
This year I’m turning 60, and some extremely generous folk have offered to sponsor me to make the pilgrimage at least once in my life.
If anyone has any tips on how to make this happen, tickets, places to stay, anything, I’d be mightily grateful. It probably seems crazy to people who go every match, but I just never got the opportunity and I’ve been a fan since 1970.
Anyway, all tips or helpful advice would be most welcome!
YNWA
Firstly congrats! I have made the journey from Singapore twice. Once sitting in the Kop and once sitting in the new stand so far away the few last rows…haha…
Not sure what would the difference in current conditions but I got my first ticket through a great Irish guy who had a season ticket but could not make it for the Fulham game and he ask his mate who is coming over and sold it to me at face value, and that was for a seat in the Kop! I was really lucky and I got that through toutless.com where you post your request and hopefully someone offer you a ticket and the main thing in the forum was that selling tickets above face value is not allowed. Some will try and some will scam but generally the guy who dealt with me was a regular there…but still it was tentative because I only got the ticket the day before the match and all I had was his number and no guarantee that he might pull out last minute but it worked out, so that might be something you can try.
The 2nd time, I did not get lucky in toutless.com. I was not prepared to pay for hospitality which was an option you can take as it guarantees a ticket. So there was this guy, which I will not publicized, on Facebook which resells tickets, for many times over of course. This was the ticket for the Main Upper which was really far away and it was sold to me for 140 pounds. I later realized the ticket was probably a subsidized ticket that cost 10 times cheaper and I shared this story in the old TIA forum as an experience for others and there was divided opinion. Obviously this guy is genuine and can get many people tickets and I met a few in Anfield who got their tickets from this guy but of course there were some who thought that we would be feeding such touts which is bad because the cheap tickets are meant to benefit the community and not meant to be fed to touts. So that is why I am not sharing this guy’s name.
In any case, hopefully you get to Anfield to fulfill your dream!
Tickets will be the biggest hurdle - maybe even more so due to Covid. If you get a membership, you’d probably be able to pick up home league cup and FA cup games (early rounds) but in reality if you’re travelling from Germany, you travel for a match of some importance - Either a CL game or a big PL encounter (hard to get hold of the latter!). Might mean you just need to throw lots of cash at it and get one of these packages sold by third parties.
I assume there’s some Berlin based or German based LFC fan club/group? I’d get chatting to people local to you, you might come across someone that has a good connection that can access tickets. I’ve been to a few away PL games through friends who have season tickets (in the south, where I now live), but generally have to forgo any home ticket available as they’re always on short notice for me to head up to Anfield.
If a Bundesliga club gets drawn in our CL group next season, see if you can get an away ticket through that route. Then put feelers out for a swap - every CL game I’ve been to at Anfield over the last few years I’ve always been within earshot of an away fan in the home seats - and you know fine well an away fan would bite your hand off to go join fellow away fans over sit amongst reds (although I’ve never seen any away fans in the home end receive abuse on an Eurpean night).
In terms of where to stay - depends how long you’re gonna hang around Liverpool for. But I’d opt for somewhere with easy access to the city centre over easy access to Anfield - you can just get a cab to the ground 3-4 hrs before kick off (no mega traffic then) and soak up the atmosphere and build-up (esp if its a European night).
I hope you get to make the trip soon mate!
PS - Berlin - what a city to live in - in my Top 3 fav cities.
@RedJedi made my first and only game at Anfield possible (v Leicester in 2019).
Was also at Mainz, Hoffenheim and Munich.
Hope to make it back to Anfield next year.
Recently met a Liverpool fan on my holiday in Greece. He has a Liverpool shirt signed by the squad framed at his Café and one with a message by Mo Salah for his son. Told me he might be able to get me a VIP (or a normal) Ticket in the near future.
Interestingly he said he is not even a fanatic football fan (his son is). He just loves the fact that we are everywhere and it’s always like family when Liverpool Fans meet.
In the Future i would also love
a CL Game in the traveling Kop at Frankfurt. Would be without big travel for me and I think they have some crazy fans.
an away game at Newcastle, Leeds or similar would be real interesting I think.
If you’re going the legit route then you have two options. First is to get a membership and try your luck in the sales. There are two bulk sales each season. First one for the first half of the season is normally held about now but it’s been delayed while the club waited to see what the Covid restrictions were going to be. I expect it will now be in the last week of July/first week in August. Sale fot the second half of the season is usually held in November. You have to be very lucky to get a ticket via these sales especially if you’ve no previous credits. It’s just a question of virtual queuing on the day and hope you get in before all the tickets go. They usually go within the hour. After that there is a sale for each game approx 2 weeks before kick off. Again it’s pot luck whether you get in or not, then tickets will randomly pop up on the site all the way up until the day before kick off, sometimes on the same day. That requires huge luck and an insane level of dedication. Basically endless refershing of the ticket site.
I always advise anyone coming on a once in a lifetime basis to go hospitality. It’s an expensive ticket but you can get them well in advance so you might be able to save money on flights/hotels as you’ll have time to shop around. If you look now you’ll see that all the hospitality tickets for all games are sold out but don’t be deterred as they will come up again at regular intervals during the season.
Don’t buy from touts as they are cunts.
I’m not from the city and drive in and out for games so can’t advise on places to stay but Liverpool is a great place these days to spend time in so you’ll want to make a long weekend of it. Do the tour, etc. Anfield on a match day is worth getting to early. Really good vibe now pre-match. Stacks of places to eat, old games on the big screens outside etc. Also when the game is over don’t leap out of your seat and head for the exit. Take your time leaving and absorb every last second of the atmosphere. You’ll regret it if you don’t.
My first time was more stressful than losing my virginity, but more enjoyable in the end (the end being afterward, not my backend). I was new to the uk, working holiday just outside Leeds. Had to go by myself, no ticket, day trip, buying an inflated ticket from a scalper, without knowing it was legit. No internet to help me, was still quite new back then (1994 ish). You a lucky old fart.
Me niether!
Would love to make the trip aswell sometime and meet up with TAN (ex-TIA) legends.
N.B to anyone who reads this please don’t take the legends bit too seriously, 100 posts on what constitutes a legend would really do our heads in again!
When in Anfield, I used a website to order food and drinks and they delivered right to my seat. It took a while though, almost 30 minutes but better than queueing up during half time and definitely missing some of the 2nd half as queues are always long. Try it if it is still around when you visit Anfield.
I also managed to get some tickets through a user on TIA. The user got me in touch with a lovely Leicester couple who have 4 season tickets in the Kop. Their grown up sons couldn’t make every game so they would allow 2 people to sit next to them at face value (SKDS side of the Kop). I wish I had their contact details still but I’ve changed phones since then. Thank you to whoever got me in touch with them. Me and my old man had a fantastic experience!
So long as you arent wanting to see LFC vs City/United/Everton I am sure there will be options going this route.
Thanks everyone. Lots of good tips and useful info. Yes, it’s a once in a lifetime thing, so has to be done right.
I’m looking at the Arsenal game in Nov, but bloody Covid is making me nervous about committing.
Also, isn’t it likely that the time will be changed by Sky? We hardly ever play at 3 on Saturdays.
I’ll keep you informed
Yes £300 hospitality is a lot but the alternative of paying £150 to a tout, getting a “child’s ticket” that they paid £12 or what ever, potentially not being allowed in at the gate compared to spending 2-3 hours inside Anfield before the game, guaranteeing a decent seat food involved but think you pay for your beer.
For me it would be worth it especially if I was travelling from abroad to come to the game.
Imagine paying all that money on flights and hotels only to be told your £150 ticket. (Face value - £20) is null and void.
I always remember the 05 champions league semi final some fucking cunt trying to sell me a receipt of a ticket for £100. Right fucking state on him too because he thought I was foreign and wouldn’t know any better.
It does go on and feel sorry for the people who are nabbed by these pricks
