Liverpool’s CEO Ian Ayre has spoken interestingly in America at football event Blazer Con, where he took part in a Q and A with author John Green and sports editor at the Huffington post Justin Block.
Ayre claimed that while Liverpool are struggling to tempt youngsters into Anfield, the club is improving enormously in terms of our commercial avenues – despite having missed the opportunity to flourish financially after the Istanbul triumph of 2005.
“We have the enviable position of selling out every game but not having the route in to have a 12 or 13 year old come. Local supporters groups want to discriminate against travelling fans to get more Scousers back in Anfield. Stadium renovation could help.” he began.
“We’re one of the biggest football clubs in the world and we should look like we are.
“We feel like the culture (of Liverpool FC) has a bigger effect (on fan growth) than the football.
“Being a Liverpool fan is more than football, it’s about being part of a family.
“I was surprised about how underdeveloped commercially and how little there was for foreign fans.
“LFC didn’t seize the opportunity of the ‘Phoenix rising from the ashes’ of Istanbul.”
Ayre then continued in rather jovial fashion, claiming that the best way to deal with fans leaving Anfield early is to “lock the gates” – before joking that the way to stem Manchester United’s rise in America was to get all “United supporters in America a vasectomy”!
The CEO then recognised up our ambition to get back to the top, while saluting new manager Jurgen Klopp for his ability to turn “good players great”.
“I think people genuinely want to see LFC get back there. Anyone who thinks we don’t have the burning ambition to win the league is wrong,” he continued.
“There genuinely are no easy games now… With the money coming in.”
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