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

The Reds’ fanbase is famous for its passion and loyalty, cheering on both the men’s and women’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, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia or elsewhere, fans provide the very foundations that the club is built on.

• We Love You Liverpool: Meet Official LFC Supporters Club... Malta

Here, we meet OLSC Brooklyn...

Tell us about the OLSC; how was it formed?

The drive to transform a group of more than 50 Liverpool FC-loving Brooklynites, who meet up at a Scouser-owned bar - The Monro Pub - into a formal club was born, like many things, during the COVID pandemic.

In that time, when many communities, friendships and systems were put to the ultimate test, our group flourished as a reliable and resilient source of joy, support and care, demonstrating a worth that greatly exceeded the mere act of watching a sport. As we found ourselves spending hours outside in the pub garden, risking frostbite, forgoing comfort and bearing blizzards, simply to watch matches together when COVID prevented us from being indoors, it was clear that we had something special.

Our goal was to act as a beacon of sorts, letting other like-minded Liverpool fans know we’re here and invite them to benefit from and contribute to our dynamic culture that is steeped in the values of the Reds. We believe we have done just that. Last season our numbers swelled to 223, which was 61 per cent higher than the season before.

How special is it to have the supporters club where you are?

It’s incredibly meaningful. You can see how much it means to people when they roll into their first game and discover what is right there in their local neighbourhood - especially when they’re new to town and find they have a built-in/instant community and group of friends.

We are consistently in awe of just how special this community is, the way that people show up for each other, and the way they embody the values of the club and the city as well. It only makes you fall in love with the club more.

What is so special about supporting Liverpool for your members?

We love talking to members about why they’re Liverpool supporters. We have a series on our website called ‘This means more’ in which our members share their ‘Why I’m a supporter’ stories. Every single story is different. A common thread is that each story is highly personal and intentional. No-one just stumbled upon this. It makes for more passionate, dedicated fans.

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

We meet up at The Monro Pub for every single game across all competitions and kick-off times. Many games have some element of hospitality, or added opportunity for engagement, such as donuts for every kick-off before noon, breakfast tacos for the early games, custom bingo and raffles for fundraising, food drives, Liverghoul Halloween costume contest and family day. Then we look for opportunities to meet up in the off-season, such as our annual baseball outing in Coney Island. We also host volunteer events during international breaks.

Has the OLSC ever visited Anfield? If so, what was the experience like? If not, is it on your list of things to do?

Last season was our first full season as an official club and our first time being able to apply for tickets. We sent 45 members to Anfield in total, for many of them it was their first time and many used the term “bucket list” to describe the opportunity to attend a home match. The experience itself cannot be described with words. Additionally, a group of us were able to attend our first black tie dinner this past season and were inspired by the passion and camaraderie demonstrated by the global OLSC network.

What is your favourite memory together as an OLSC?

That’s a tough call - as much as they take years off our lives, it’s probably those late winners that stay with us! The Alisson [Becker] header [at West Bromwich Albion in 2021] was especially memorable for a small group of members who were watching at The Monro Pub, one of whom was so excited he broke a chair!

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

They can join on our website, olscbrooklyn.com. Or message us on any of our social channels and we can help.

OLSC info

Name: OLSC Brooklyn

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Home: The Monro Pub

X: olscbrooklyn

Instagram: olscbrooklyn

OLSC website: olscbrooklyn.com