The 'Friendly' Derby?

Here in Britain, we LOVE football! Whether it’s playing in our local park as a youngster growing up to driving up and down the country to play on a cold and wet winter Sunday afternoon! Even those who don’t play themselves still love watching their local professional team play at their home football ground or on television. It is certainly one of the most popular sports and pastimes in the UK!  

It seems the majority of people in the UK will have a local team whom they will support, even if they don’t have a ‘season ticket’ (a ticket that grants the holder access to all home league matches for one whole season) to go and watch them play every weekend they’re still likely to have a favourite team; an allegiance to one side or the other in order to get involved in the local ‘banter’ (a playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks) between each local sides supporters. Matches between local (those whose home grounds are geographically near to one another) sides is known as a ‘derby match’.

Here in Liverpool we are not short of great (some might argue otherwise!) football teams to choose from. In Liverpool there is a definite rivalry between the ‘Koppites’ or ‘Reds’; those who support Liverpool Football Club (LFC) and the ‘Toffees’ or ‘blue noses’; those who support Everton Football Club (EFC).  However, there is something different and unique about the football rivalry in Liverpool between these two teams. Whilst local football rivalries across the world (and even across the UK) seem to stir up trouble whenever they play and in some cases incite violence between rival fans, the rivalry here in Liverpool between LFC and EFC is known as ‘The Friendly Derby’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merseyside_derby). 

There are many reasons for this including the fact that their current home grounds are less than 1 mile apart, separated only by Stanley Park, the fact that this is the longest running top-flight derby in England (having played against each other every year since 1962) and the fact that families living in the Liverpool area quite often have supporters of both sides living under the same roof!

It is not just these things that make the Merseyside Derby special though, the rest is due to the history between the two clubs and how they are related. For example, did you know that LFC’s current home stadium, Anfield, used to belong to Everton Football Club between 1884 and 1892 before the directors of Everton FC decided to purchase a new ground on the other side of Stanley Park. This ground came to be known as Goodison Park and the previous club chairman founded a new football club; Liverpool FC.

Whilst most local derby matches have a political, geographical, religious or social divide, no such divide exists in the Merseyside derby. It is perhaps because of this long running history that it is one of the few local football derbies that does not force the segregation of opposing fans, instead allowing Liverpool fans to sit (or stand) amongst a sea of blue Everton shirts or vice versa. For this reason the Mersey side Derby is a unique experience.  

So whilst you’re here in Liverpool, if you’re interested in football, why not try to attend the ‘friendly’ derby (providing you can get your hands on some tickets of course!) and decide for yourself whether this really is a ‘friendly’ derby. Alternatively, you can always watch it on TV of course.

Have you been to see the Merseyside derby or watched Liverpool play Everton on tv? If so, we’d love to know what you thought! If not, which football team do you follow? Do you have any local rivalries?