FeatureWe Love You Liverpool: Meet Official LFC Supporters Club... Netherlands

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 new 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 Netherlands…

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

My name is Kim, and I am from the Netherlands. I started supporting the Reds when I was about nine. Not because my family supported Liverpool, or because they were successful in Europe those days, but simply because of a feeling. Whenever I saw them play (I watched a lot of football with my dad at the time), they just had to win, and I would get quite upset if they didn’t. It was a feeling I couldn’t describe. I guess it was something like having a crush. Only I fell in love with a football club instead of a boy.

Tell us about the OLSC Netherlands. How did it come to be?

OLSC Netherlands (locally known as ALSIN, which stands for Association of Liverpool Supporters in The Netherlands) was founded in 2002, which means we are proudly celebrating our 20-year anniversary this year. We currently have around 300 members who are actively involved with our supporters club.

How special is it to have a feel of Liverpool despite being in the Netherlands? What makes it a great OLSC to be a part of?

Liverpool is one of the most important things in the lives of all our members and we are very happy that we can create an environment where fans can share their love and passion for our football club. Together we create our own piece of Liverpool heaven in the Netherlands, which means that we always feel closely connected to the club in Liverpool and to fans all around the world.

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

We hold official meetings around four or five times throughout the season. And of course, we host special events whenever we reach a final. We don’t have a local bar, but travel around the country instead, so that we can give as many members as possible the opportunity to join us for one of our meetings. We also encourage fans to meet up locally for all other games, so that everyone always has the opportunity to watch a game together with other members.

Next to these meetings we also organise a special event, which is called the ALSIN-day. We host this event every two years and for these special occasions we do not only invite our own members, but we also invite members from other supporters clubs from all over the world. The day consists of a five-a-side tournament between fan clubs, clinics for children, food, drinks and entertainment, which sometimes includes a special guest. Our next ALSIN-day will be on June 24, 2023. Please all feel invited, save the date, and keep an eye on our website here for more information about this upcoming international event!

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

There is no football club like Liverpool and there are no fans in the world as passionate as Liverpool fans are. They live and breathe Liverpool and will support their club and everything that has anything to do with their club no matter what. In good times, but also in bad times they stand behind their team. Liverpool fans also support each other whenever and wherever they can. No Liverpool fan will ever walk alone.

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

No matter where you were born, or how your life turns out, when you deeply share a love and passion, like we all do for Liverpool FC, there are no frontiers. Once you are part of this global family, it is in your DNA, and it will be part of you forever. No matter what happens in life, you can always depend on this family.

Has the OLSC ever visited Anfield? If so, what was the experience like?

Throughout our 20 years of being an OLSC we have been lucky enough to take many of our members to Anfield each season. Earlier this year we took 20 members to Liverpool versus West Ham to celebrate our 20th anniversary in style, which was so special that we are now trying to organise a trip like this (full weekend in Liverpool) at least once a season.

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

It has been amazing. I don’t think anyone has been able to wipe the smile off our faces the last few years. Not even COVID could take that away from us, although it has been tough that we couldn’t celebrate all successes the way we normally would. But from the Netherlands to Madrid to Liverpool to Wembley; it has been fantastic. For our ‘older’ members the wait is finally over again and for some of our younger members it means that they have witnessed Liverpool winning the Premier League for the first time ever. It is something that we’ll never forget.

It is great to see as well that the engagement with the women’s team is now growing over here and that their successes are celebrated as well.

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

Anyone who lives in the Netherlands and is as passionate about Liverpool as we all are, can join our OLSC by signing up here.

Our website is in Dutch, but if you have any questions in English, you can always email us at info@liverpoolfc.nl.

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

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Pepijn Lijnders and John Achterberg for their love and support for our supporters club. It is great to know that people within the current squad support what we do just as much as we support them.

OLSC info

Name: OLSC Netherlands

Location: Netherlands

Website: www.liverpoolfc.nl

Twitter: @alsinLFC

Facebook: OLSCNetherlands

Instagram: @olscnetherlands

If you are interested in finding out more about Official LFC Supporters Clubs, visit our dedicated section or, if you would like to contact your local OLSC, please contact us.