A Pilgrimage to Anfield

What happens when a Reds fan has a day and a half in London? He lives his fanboy moment and visits Anfield! London is beautiful, yeah, but who’d want to miss out on the ‘This is Anfield’ walk through the tunnel?

Here’s the How and the Why of the pilgrimage –

To begin with, try and sleep early. Yes the weekend nightlife in London is tempting, but give it your best to be in bed by 1 at night 😉

Pre-Book your self-guided tour on the official LFC website. There are museum tours and stadium tours with dressing room access on non-match day (weekends). Choose your tour accordingly.

It would take you just about 5 hours to reach Anfield from Hounslow west station. Wake up early and follow the route: Hounslow west (Piccadilly line)->Green park (Victoria line) -> Euston (Virgin trains) -> Liverpool lime street. An Uber or bus should take you to Anfield in about 10-15 minutes.

 

The city is quiet, feels old, settled! But one thing is visible on the streets (and houses) – the love for Liverpool Football Club!

 

Enter Anfield. The vibe you get just at the gates gives you a glimpse of what’s to follow. You might see a long queue at the entrance but don’t worry. That might be for tickets to the next game/training session (you know how these fans are, eh 😉 ). You directly head to the main reception where you’ll encounter a smaller queue and get yourself the entry wrist band along with the audio guide. Another 10-15 minute wait and a security guard escorts you inside the main building. This wait is just before the kickoff.

Now starts the real game. The guard gives you a security brief (do’s and dont’s) and then he shows his real side. Guess what, he’s a reds fan too. And all the other staff! Bam! Witty puns, Klopp loyalists, giving a count of trophies the neighbouring club has (0 *cough* Everton *cough*), history, culture, class and of course, true football game spirit is what you’ll encounter throughout your tour. Not just people, the walls exuberate such passion that it you know it is more than football, it is divine. It is spiritual.

You’ll encounter the boardroom, the lounge, view from the top of new main grand stand with the KOP end on your right. The sight of the pitch is so serene to someone who’s played football in his life. It’s sheer joy! Once you’re done on the top floor, you begin your descent only to encounter the shining armour. Yes, it is the 2005 Champions League trophy (& now the 2019 as well)!!!

Go further down, the last piece of metal of the old/original main stand lies perfectly as a symbol of history holding proudly the LFC logo.

Yup, you’ve now reached the entrance. The likes of Shankly, Dalglish and now Klopp walk their teams through this exact place. (PS – just ask the security guard to tell you what happened with Klopp and James Bond Daniel Craig ;). You’ll thank me for this)

The journey to the dressing rooms is through the media conference room. Visit the away dressing room. It is perfectly curated by Jamie Carragher with jerseys of the best of best to have played against Liverpool at Anfield.

Now you enter the home dressing room. Those jerseys! Those seats! The place is no less than the shrine in the place of pilgrimage.

The famous ‘This is Anfield’ sign is nearby. View the tunnel opening into the lush grass with the sign to begin with as a ritual. Touch it or not (I didn’t – to sacred for me) and view the pitch. All the stands. Sit in the famous KOP and embrace it. Let the feeling sink in.

You may wish to visit the merchandise store on your way out. It is to a fanboy what a candy store is to a child. I’d recommend to definitely get a souvenir from there just as a token of remembrance.

After about 2 hours. You may now head back to London following the same route. But one thing is certain; the ride back isn’t going to be the same 🙂