FeatureWe Love You Liverpool: Meet Official LFC Supporters Club... Newcastle, Australia

The Reds’ fanbase is famous for its passion and loyalty, cheering on both Jürgen Klopp and Matt Beard’s squads whether on Merseyside or watching from afar.

Our We Love You Liverpool feature aims to bring supporters closer together to learn more about each other wherever they are based around the globe.

Whether in the UK and Republic of Ireland, on Merseyside itself, in North or South America, Africa, Asia, Australia or elsewhere, fans provide the very foundations that the club is built on.

Here, we meet OLSC Newcastle, Australia...

Firstly, can you introduce yourself – tell us a little a bit about who you are and where you are from...

We’re based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia – about two hours north of Sydney. We have a healthy mix of ex-pat and local Australian members. With ex-Red Craig Johnston having come from our region originally, there is a great following for LFC in the area.

We’ve also got a good Liverpool contingent among our members and on our committee – for example, our chairman, secretary and community representative have all relocated to Newcastle from Liverpool.

Tell us about OLSC Newcastle, Australia…

Our supporters club was established in 2011, we currently have around 80 official members, but there are plenty more that join us for games. We were granted OLSC status two years ago and we’ve grown significantly since then.

How special is it to have a feel of ‘Liverpool’ despite being in Newcastle, Australia?

For those that came from Liverpool, there’s a great sense of still being part of these great days to be a Red. Our local members are even more passionate and it’s great to have a strong focal point for that energy.

Do you hold any special events throughout the season, or meet-ups for games?

The local supporters know there is always something going on, whether it’s a 5am kick-off for a Champions League or midweek game at our main home of the Ka-Fey in the city, or the late-night games – which are afternoon kick-offs in the UK – at the Newcastle Hotel.

The 12.30pm kick-off times earlier and later on in the season (before the clocks change) are always special as they are on at 9.30pm here, so plenty of fans take the rare opportunity to watch the game with a pint in hand (well, a ‘schooner’ Down Under).

We also hold special events for the cup finals and had around 300 supporters over two venues for each final last season, which was particularly busy, so thanks LFC!

What is so unique about being a Liverpool supporter for your members?

The real connection with the club in this region makes it extra special. We have Craig Johnston, Phil Dando and Alan Waddle all living in our area and this shows through in the number of avid LFC fans here. Other ‘big’ clubs have a few fans, but nothing compared to the number of Reds here.

Why do you think Liverpool fans – no matter where they are from around the world – are so passionate and loyal to the club?

The history, the passion of the stadium and the way the club conducts itself, it all feeds through to fans no matter where they are.

How do you bring ‘Anfield’ to Newcastle, Australia?

We have good venues with hugely accommodating hosts. We bring the flags and the passion and they provide a great environment. It’s friendly and open to anyone who wants to come along.

Has the OLSC ever visited Anfield?

We have a few members from Liverpool, so quite a few who’ve been fortunate to attend regularly. Since gaining official OLSC status, we’ve been able to organise a few sets of tickets each year for our members through the club, which has been amazing as they can travel to the UK knowing they’ve got a match ticket as the centrepiece of the trip.

How has it been to follow the club in recent history? There has been plenty to cheer about under Jürgen Klopp and Matt Beard…

These are the days of our lives! We have members who’ve grown up watching the Reds through the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and beyond. We’ve been through 30 years of hurt, loudly proclaiming that ‘this is our year’ throughout every one of them, but never wavering in our support for the Reds. That’s what makes LFC so special. To see us competing at the very top again and in style is icing on the cake. And it is great to see the Women back in the WSL – we hope they can bring another championship back soon.

If anyone is interested in joining your OLSC, how would they go about doing so?

We have an online presence on social media and memberships are available on our website here.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Just that seeing 300 passionate Liverpool fans crammed into a community hall at 4am on a Sunday morning to watch a cup final (regularly over the past couple of seasons!), alongside an absolutely belting rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, warms your heart for every fan here. It really helps ease the pain of being as far from Anfield as we possibly could be.

OLSC info

Name: OLSC Newcastle, Australia

Location: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

Home bar: Ka-Fey Café, Hunter St, Newcastle (morning kick-off). Newcastle Hotel, Islington, Newcastle (late kick-off).

Website: www.olscnewcastleaus.com

Twitter: @lfcnewcastleaus

Facebook: OLSCNewcastleAustralia

Instagram: olscnewcastleaus