FeatureWe Love You Liverpool: Meet Official LFC Supporters Club... Philadelphia
Liverpool FC has more than 300 Official LFC Supporters Clubs (OLSCs) across 100 countries worldwide.
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.
Here, we meet OLSC Philadelphia...
Tell us about the OLSC...
OLSC Philadelphia came into existence through a small group coming together informally at the Victoria Freehouse in Old City, Philadelphia. After a while, there was a desire to make the informal group "official" and with the assistance of the club, OLSC Philadelphia came into being. Since those early days, the OLSC has grown to include six partner bars throughout the Delaware Valley (Philadelphia's metropolitan region) and counts over 800 members.
How special is it to have the supporters club where you are?
More than anything, football is a sport that is meant to be enjoyed communally and with others. Being able to watch with likeminded supporters - whether it be a 7.30am (our version of a 12.30pm early kick-off) match against a relegation side, midweek domestic or European Cup match, or key fixture in a title run-in against a rival - it makes the football experience all the more meaningful. It also allows us to serve as a welcoming post for Reds travelling in from across the globe. We have been fortunate to host Reds from across every continent (except Antarctica - no penguins have made it out yet!).
It must give you a sense of community and connection to Liverpool and the club itself?
Absolutely. We are all part of the world's greatest football club and footballing community - Liverpool FC - and the OLSC provides the most local connection possible for our members to the club. We all hear about the Liverpool family and doing things the 'Liverpool Way', by being part of the fabric of this LFC community (no matter how small an individual part each of us play) through our OLSC we are able to have a real connection to the club.
What is so special about supporting Liverpool for your members?
Beyond the football, Liverpool and Philadelphia are kindred spirits. Hard-nosed, passionate and working-class cities, we have unrivalled devotion to our teams and embrace (really thrive on) an us-against-the-world mentality. For many in Philadelphia, LFC and the city of Liverpool remind us of ourselves (in all the best possible ways).
Do you hold meet-ups for games?
We host meet-ups for every single match throughout the season in each competition. We also host a "family day" geared at our younger Reds on one matchday each season and engage in charitable efforts (equipment drives, food drives etc) throughout the season.
What is your favourite memory together as an OLSC?
Too many to list, but each and every trophy lift during the Jürgen era comes to mind… and even some of the final losses. What atmospheres! Our best singular moment was probably our march into the Premier League fan fest in October 2022. We were the loudest, proudest and biggest supporter group out of the 15,000 attendees and we beat Manchester City. A perfect day.
Lastly, if anyone else is interested in joining your OLSC, how would they go about doing so?
They can go to our social media channels and website - olscphiladelphia.com - and learn about us and sign up if desired, contact us via email or social media (Instagram preferred), or drop in to any of our bars on matchday. We are happy to welcome any Red from the greater Philadelphia area to our community.
OLSC info
Name: OLSC Philadelphia
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Home: Cavanaughs Headhouse (Philadelphia), The International (Philadelphia), Union Jacks (Glenside), Union Jacks (Manatawny), Iron Abbey (Horsham), Kildares (West Chester).
X: OLSCPhila
Facebook: OLSC Philadelphia
Instagram: OLSCPhilly
OLSC website: olscphiladelphia.com
This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.