Wunderlich

The English football league was formed in 1888, and on September 8th, Anfield laid turf to the first football league game in its history. The home team wasn't dressed in red, as would be the case now-a-days. They wore the blue and white strip of Everton FC.

This marked the beginning of what was to become a great name in world football - Anfield.

The man behind Everton FC, and the owner of the Anfield ground was John Houlding, a local brewer and pub owner, member of the local council, and later the Mayor of the city of Liverpool.

In 1892, however, a row broke out between Houlding and the Everton board. Tensions had been building up over some time, because the Everton board felt that Houlding was profiting quite considerably from the sales of ales on match day, and the final straw broke when he raised the ground rent.

Everton FC left Anfield, and moved to their new home at Goodison Park, leaving behind a handful of players. The same week Houlding founded Liverpool FC on 15th of March, with William E. Barclay as club secretary and John McKenna as chairman and manager of the team.

Liverpool FC wasn't allowed immediate access to the football league, and started life in the Lancashire League. Their first competitive match was played at Anfield in front of a handful of spectators, while Everton was playing a game the same day in front of a crowd of 10,000. The rivalry was on!

Liverpool FC won their first game, a friendly against Rotherham, by an impressive 7-1 score. Their first league game they won 8-0, and they went on to comfortably winning the Lancashire League, as well as the Liverpool District Cup and the Reserves Cup. Quite an achievement for a club less than 12 months old.

Houlding adopted the City of Liverpool's colour, red, for the playing shirts in 1894, and the liverbird in the club crest in 1904. Later the club slogan "You'll Never Walk Alone" has been added.

This is how 3 men, in 1892, founded what was later to become the most successful club in the history of English Football - Liverpool FC.

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