The goalkeeper dived to his right. His outstretched hand made just enough contact with the ball to deflect it over the crossbar. As he landed, the red “liver bird” logo on his left shoulder hit the ground with the rest of his torso. He stood, yelled at his defense, and got set to defend the ensuing corner kick.
While a home game for Liverpool, it did not take place at historic Anfield in Liverpool, England.
It was in North Fort Worth.
Specifically at the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district’s Rough Rider Stadium.
And it wasn’t technically the Reds in action –– no one was expecting to see Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool legend who recently became a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy. It was the Liverpool Warriors, who don’t compete in the Premier or Europa leagues but in the National Premier Soccer League, a semi-pro league that represents the third tier of U.S. soccer.
The Warriors, however, are still affiliated with the U.K.-based club. In 2009, North Texas businessman Peter Brody worked out an agreement with the Merseyside club to not only use the name of Liverpool FC America but also establish in-kind support for an academy.
“Our contract allows us to have the United States market,” said Tim Trevino, who oversees business relations and marketing for LFCA, whose office is in The Colony. Their players wear their trademark red shirts on fields from Rockwall to Burleson, and they also just reached an agreement to conduct activities at Rolling Hills Park in Fort Worth.
Curious where the first image was acquired from? It is not the Warriors, but a U13 Liverpool D1 team that my son plays on. I took that photo. I was credentialed through a national sports wire for the Dallas Cup matches and all of my images were to be licensed through them. I own the copyright and do not have a problem with you using it for the article outside of the wire. However, I was never notified or asked for permission. If you’d like a link to the original file, please let me know.
Thanks.
Very interesting article on LiverpoolFC America. I’m a soccer parent who dri ves from the 817 to 972 constantly for games. Wish the story told more about other programs in North Texas. FCDallas has a youth development program. Dallas Texans has a partnership with Manchester United. Solar has a partnership with ChelseaFC. These local clubs have already produced players for the US MNT, MLS, and the Premier League.