My name is Connie Lofton – I am proud to be entering my 15th year as a member of the Liverpool Supporters Club of New York. It’s been incredible to watch the club grow from a handful of us Reds congregating on one end of an Upper East Side bar back in the mid-1990s into a membership that is currently several hundred strong and spread out over multiple bars in two boroughs and two states. We have experienced some incredible times together over the years and have demonstrated through our various fundraisers/charity events, the weekly football and, last but certainly not least, the organized campaign against a certain broadcaster, that harnessing our efforts and working together can make a difference.
I am also proud to have entered my third year as a member of Spirit of Shankly, the Liverpool Supporters Union (SOS).
Spirit of Shankly operates on exactly the same principles I mentioned above, and the time has come to expand its reach to these shores. We are in the process of forming a New York-based branch of Spirit of Shankly (SOS NY) and I am inviting you to join us.
SOS is a group of dedicated individuals working hard to fight for our club and ensure supporters’ voices are heard as the business of football grows bigger and the bond between club and supporter grows ever weaker. A democratically-elected committee oversees a 7,000-strong-and-growing membership representing Liverpool supporters from every corner of the globe. SOS has organized initiatives like transportation to away matches, initiating dialog with LFC itself as well as the Premier League on matters important to supporters and have been at the forefront of information campaigns to publicize the problems with the club’s current ownership. You may have heard comments or criticisms about SOS, or perhaps disagreed with an action they have taken. SOS is an open organization – all are welcome and all are encouraged to make their voices heard. I urge you to visit their website at http://www.spiritofshankly.com/ and decide for yourself. As a member, you influence its future path and actions.
Your club needs you – at Anfield, at home, in the bars, wherever you may be. And the job doesn’t end with a potential change in ownership – we need to ensure that whoever becomes the new or future custodian of this great club knows we are watching and knows we are more than a commodity to be swapped or sold like trading cards. Add your voice to the growing number who want to hold and keep them accountable to us, who want to push for an ownership stake in the club and who want the club we all fell in love with restored to its former glory, upholding the principles that Bill Shankly gave us.
JOIN US. If you are interested in becoming a member of SOS and/or the New York branch, send an email to: