AFC Liverpool Grassroots - Website & news

[The Glove]

It should be something else in my opinion - perhaps a nice familiar retro-style kit, nice red with white v-neck collar?

The thing with kits though is that they take an age to design and set up. Our first game is in about 6 weeks and we have been going for about 12 weeks.

Now, it sounds dead easy but things like kits take an age. You approach a firm, the first person you speak to loves the idea but needs to speak to his boss. Then 2 weeks later they come back and say they love the idea but they now need to pitch it to someone else, which takes another few weeks and so on and so on.

Chances are the first kit we have wont be anything special at all. It may well be you could buy the shirt off the peg in jjb but without the badge. However, the supplier can then start work on a unique kit for the second season which wcan be designed by the members etc.

[livvy145]

AFC Liverpool ready to seal a ground-share deal

Jun 13 2008 by Luke Traynor, Liverpool Echo


NEW football club AFC Liverpool is on the verge of sealing a deal to share a home ground.

The recently-formed non-league outfit is hoping to play at Prescot Cables’ Valerie Park next season.

The team would play home fixtures at the 3,200-capacity stadium when Prescot travel to away matches.

AFC Liverpool is looking to sign a 10-year lease with the side who play in the Unibond Premiership.

If they are accepted by the Vodkat League Two, which looks a formality, they could play their first game at the ground on August 9.

AFC Liverpool enquired about Prescot’s Hope Street home because of its good transport links with the M57 and M62 and train stations.

Valerie Park is all-standing with a long stand along one side and a sheltered area behind one of the goals. AFC officials visited Valerie Park during a Liverpool reserves’ match and were impressed by the noise.

The club is in talks with Castle Buses about the possibility of setting up a Soccerbus scheme like the one that services Liverpool and Everton FC.

In May, Reds’ chief executive Rick Parry stated his desire to “exist and cooperate” with AFC Liverpool.

So far, 500 people have signed up as paid members of the club, earning it £10,000.

AFC manager and former Burscough boss Derek Goulding is close to finalising team arrangements

AFC Liverpool club spokesman Alun Parry said: “We decided upon Prescot becuase of its good transport links, there’s a regular bus service and it’s just 19 minutes on the train from Liverpool city centre.

“It’s a good place to watch football with the fans close to the touchline and the main stand really throws out noise.

“It’s the league AGM on Saturday when we hope to be approved for the league and with the ground aswell, it’s all coming together.”

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2008/06/13/afc-liverpool-ready-to-seal-a-ground-share-deal-100252-21069960/

[Red_hot]

I like Prescots ground even though I almost froze my parts off last time I was there.

[livvy145]

I live 5 minutes away from there so I'm happy.

[The Glove]

Its not a 10 year deal by the way. Prescit have signed a 10 year deal with the owners of the ground.

[The Glove]

The best news today though is most defo.............

We are proud to announce that LFC’s official satellite football channel, LFC TV, are to produce a one hour documentary about AFC Liverpool.

The program, entitled “This Is AFC Liverpool”, will feature interviews with key figures at the club, manager Derek Goulding, and some match footage from our first ever friendly against St Helens Town.

The channel, a firm favourite with Reds fanatics across the world, expects to broadcast the show on Friday 18th July 2008.

Once the season starts, AFC Liverpool fans will be able to follow our fortunes by tuning in to LFC TV’s weekly AFC Liverpool match highlights show.

LFC TV has viewing figures of 228,000 and features the very best in LFC coverage including The John Barnes Show, and interviews with legends past and present.

LFC TV is available as part of the Setanta Sports Pack or online with an LFC Eseason ticket.

[MrMichael]

That's pretty damn cool. Article on the official site about the ground too - http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drill...80616-1616.htm

Great to see the way the club are treating the whole AFC thing, you guys must be well chuffed

[The Glove]

AFC Liverpool have today announced ticket details for the friendly between AFC Liverpool and St Helens Town, taking place on the Wenesday16th July with a 7.45pm kick off.

Tickets are priced at £5 for adults, and £3 for under 16s.

Please note that this friendly match is the first ever competitive AFC Liverpool fixture.

Given our fanbase, and given the 1000 capacity at the Edge Green Street stadium, this match will be ALL TICKET.

It will be played at the home of Ashton Town FC, Edge Green Street, Ashton-in-Makerfield

Tickets will be available on general sale from Wednesday 18th June 2008 until further notice at:

News From Nowhere Radical Bookstore
96 Bold Street
Liverpool L1 4HY
You will also be able to purchase a seat on the coach for £5 per seat.

On Saturday 21st June, from 10.30am until 2pm ONLY, you will also be able to purchase tickets from

The Casa
29 Hope Street
Liverpool L1 9BQ

You will also be able to purchase a seat on the coach for £5 per seat.

In addition, you will also be able to purchase a seat on the coach for the match against Nelson FC on Saturday July 19th, 3pm kick off, on this day from the Casa.

Both ourseleves in the Casa and News From Nowhere Radical Bookstore are unable to accept any form of cash card or telephone bookings.

Tickets are also available by post from

John McKiernan
Chairman, St. Helens Town AFC
35 Roysten Gardens
St. Helens
Merseyside
WA9 1RJ

Postal requests should detail the numbers of "Adult" and/or "U16s" tickets required and should include a cheque/postal order payable to "St. Helens Town AFC" and include a stamped self addressed envelope.

[The Glove]

If anyone is interested, this is the view of FC United of Manchester

http://itllbeoff.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/in-my-mersey-paradox/

I’m not sure how well this post is going to go down on an FC United blog, but we can’t just ignore issues because it involves them from the wrong end of the East Lancs Road. After all the issues that are affecting them, are exactly the ones that were affecting us when we started up FC United. OK, we’ve gone about things slightly differently. Very differently. But I can’t help but feel that a lot of the flack they’re receiving isn’t because what they’re doing is wrong. It’s because they’re, you know, Scouse.

There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding AFC Liverpool, most of it coming from the fans themselves. Are they a breakaway club? Are they a tribute act? Are they just a bunch of whining, self-pitying tossers? Much of the criticism being levelled at them seems to echo the brickbats thrown at FC United when we formed. It was ill-informed bull**** then, and it’s ill-informed bull**** now. But what troubles me most of all is that much of this criticism is coming from fans of our club. Who really you’d think should understand a thing or two about the thinking behind setting up and running a fans’ club.

The AFC Liverpool crowd, and Alun ‘Rick’ Parry, were very clear from the start. This is not a break-away club. This is not a protest club. This has nothing to do with Gillette and Hicks. This is a club that aims to provide affordable football to the people of Merseyside who have been priced out of top flight football. I don’t see how anyone can argue with that manifesto.

But argue people did. And continue to do so. And as I said, it’s the same tired arguments as were used when FC United were formed. On the one hand Liverpool (and Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea) fans are pilloried for supporting a successful club, and aspersions are cast over where they were when their team were ****. And on the other, in practically the same breath, these dullards are asking why these AFC Liverpool fans don’t just go and support someone else. I mean, Jesus, really. Football support doesn’t work like that. You can’t just transfer your allegiance. You can’t wipe out years of shared experience and belonging. These people are Liverpool fans, not Prescott Cables, or Marine, or Liverpool Reserves fan. They aren’t protesting about not being able to afford to attend football matches. They’re protesting about not being able to afford to go and watch Liverpool. This, I think, is an important distinction to make.

The other main gripe coming from outside, and particularly from the non league forums I’ve been lurking in all week, appears to be AFC Liverpool’s involvement with Liverpool FC. For instance, it was recently announced that LFC TV, Liverpool’s own channel co owned by the club and Setanta, would carry an hour-long documentary titled ‘This Is AFC Liverpool’, as well as a regular highlights show throughout the season. Also, Liverpool’s chief-exec Rick ‘Alun’ Parry released a statement wishing AFC Liverpool well and offering support to the new club as part of his commitment to grassroots football.

Now, as a Manchester United fan, who sees the current regime as ‘the enemy’, and whose manager has banned all mention of FC United from his press briefings, I find this astonishing, and struggle to think of a series of events that would lead to similar happening at our club. But then while most of us still are Manchester United fans, we are a break-away club. We are a protest club. We are alienated by most aspects of top-flight football. AFC Liverpool aren’t, and never claimed to be. So if there’s any confusion about the aims and objectives of this new club, it’s coming from the fans. And hey, if people want to whinge about them having a satellite TV programme, why did they not scoff at Wimbledon’s ‘Football Hurts’ programme on Nuts TV?

I don’t need to be lectured on the (often wildly over-played) Manchester/Liverpool rivalry. And nor will the creation of AFC Liverpool see any softening of my feelings towards them in a football context. But in my eyes there can be no doubt that this is a good thing. The more fan owned and controlled teams there are the better. This is an important revolution in football in this country, and is the only way we can realistically have a say in the way the game is run. To let petty parochialism get in the way of this seems to be a classic case of nose cutting and face spiting.

I wish AFC Liverpool great luck in their endeavours, and hope they not only succeed but enjoy the whole trip as much as we have. I also hope that when we meet, in the future, we thrash the Scouse *******s.

[MrMichael]

Bloody hell, that's a classy response

[Joe King]

Johnson hails AFC Liverpool

David Johnson has hailed the formation of AFC Liverpool and believes the club could prove to be the modern day alternative to the 'boy's pen.'

The former Reds striker feels the new non-league outfit - who will be playing at Prescot Cables' Valerie Park Ground next season in the Vodkat League - will give supporters with children more chance to afford tickets and, most importantly, provide them with an opportunity to learn the 'Liverpool way.'

"I think it is a great idea," he said on LFC TV's This is Anfield show.

"To have an intermediary where Dads can take their lads, and it is to do with Liverpool Football Club and backed by the club is great.

"Too many times, football has moved on where Dads can no longer afford to take the kids, and in my day that was a massive part of learning the Liverpool Way and learning the songs.

"If Dads can go along with kids and can use it as the Boys Pen and learn the Liverpool Way - well thats good for me.

"I am looking to see where I can get a ticket."

AFC Liverpool Chair Alun Parry was delighted to have the support of a Reds legend.

He said: "We are proud to have David Johnson's support and delighted that he wants a ticket to come and watch us.

"We'd like to advise David that our first ever game is vs St Helens on Wed 16 July.

"It's an all ticket match, and tickets are being sold at News From Nowhere Bookstore, Bold Street, Liverpool.

"We're looking forward to seeing him at the game where he will receive the kind of reception that Liverpool legends can expect from staunch Reds like ourselves."

[alunevans]

A European Cup winner backs us. Can't be bad eh

[The Glove]

If anyone has thier own business or knows someone who might be interested, a full page advert in the programme would cost £300 for the season.

[livvy145]

AFC LIVERPOOL TRIALS CONTINUE

Paul Hassall 26 June 2008


AFC Liverpool will resume their hunt for some of the areas finest footballing talent this weekend when stage two of the trials gets under way at Childwall School.

The best of May's hopefuls will get a second chance to showcase their talent in front of manager Derek Goulding, who will put the would-be players through their paces in a week-long work out.

Twenty-six of the 300 local footballers who converged on Buckley Hill in Bootle have made it through and Goulding is hopeful he has found some top talent.

Goulding said: "I am looking forward to the opportunity to work closely with these lads for a full week. It gives me the chance to have a proper look at them, and it gives them the chance to be able to show what they can do and prove they have what it takes to play for AFC Liverpool."

The trials will be taking place at Childwall School - a specialist sports college - with successful triallists likely to be unveiled as the first players to be named as part of AFC Liverpool's inaugural squad.

The club's historic first match is an all ticket encounter against St Helens Town on Wednesday July 16, kick-off 7.45pm BST.

The match will take place at the home of Ashton Town FC, just outside St Helens.

Goulding added: "Any lads selected will know in time for pre season training on the 5th July.

"Just eleven days later they could well be running out to You'll Never Walk Alone and to a large crowd of noisy supporters. It's the stuff of footballing romance."

Match and coach tickets are on sale at News From Nowhere Bookstore in Bold Street, Liverpool. Also available are coach tickets to the Joe Fagan Commemorative Trophy match against Nelson FC on Saturday 19th July.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N160326080626-0824.htm

[kingjari]

Alun I sent you a PM yesterday on RAWK re: becoming a member of AFC, did'nt know you posted here. I'll try and send you a PM here.