On demand: Watch 'Flags and Banners: The Art of Liverpool FC'
LFCTV takes viewers on a journey through the history of Liverpool's flags and banners in a new documentary.
With the Reds sitting top of the Premier League table, and Christmas just days away, our feature-length film is a timely trip down memory lane.
Flags and Banners: The Art of Liverpool FC is now available on LFCTV and LFCTV GO.
The 70-minute piece is a tribute to those who have decorated the Kop – as well as stadiums and city centres across the continent – in support of their beloved team.
Our story spans a century; from the early 1920s, when the club unfurled the first-known Liverpool FC banner, to the summer of 2020, when the outbreak of COVID-19 brought life to a standstill.
It was during this time that the likes of Peter Carney, Frank Graceffa, and members of Spion Kop 1906 entered Anfield to lay down their flags in support of the team.
Their colourful odes to all things Liverpool FC provided a perfect backdrop to the Premier League trophy lift, on the night 30 years of waiting was ended.
Peter, Frank and the Spion Kop 1906 lads share their story alongside a host of fellow banner-makers and experts.
Historian Frank Monaghan and collector Adrian Killen map the emergence of flags at football matches.
Author Chris McLoughlin is joined by fellow fans as we see the Kop explode into a jigsaw of colour, coinciding with the club’s rise to supremacy in England and abroad.
We watch how banners became comfort blankets in the aftermath of the Hillsborough tragedy; and how they festooned Anfield on the day of the Kop’s last stand.
Into the 2000s, we learn how the likes of Gerard Houllier and Rafael Benitez stoked supporters’ passions and brought their artistic qualities to the fore once again.
And then to the modern era, where we meet artist Emma Norbury, maker of more than 250 flags, most of them in conjunction with the Spion Kop 1906 group.
Flags and Banners: The Art of Liverpool FC is a sweeping look back over decades of ingenuity and unique culture – but it is also a glimpse into the future.
As Joe Connolly, member of Spion Kop 1906, summarises: “This lockdown situation has meant that we’re all pretty committed to making sure that when we can all be back in the ground, it’ll be pretty special.”
Watch Flags and Banners: The Art of Liverpool FC now on LFCTV and LFCTV GO. Subscribe now: UK and Republic of Ireland | Rest of the world
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