Liverpudlians might be among the most fanatical followers of “the beautiful game”– aka football or soccer – but Liverpool is also one of the world’s best settings for a sport that’s no less grand: golf. From teeing off on scenic courses to matches and stadium tours, Liverpool has tons to offer sports fans.
Anfield Stadium
Tackling football first: Anfield Stadium is home to the mighty Liverpool Football Club, one of the world’s top teams since 1892, and is a must-see for many sports fans visiting the city. There are games throughout the week, as well as a roster of stadium tours to enjoy.
Book a Matchday Tour to combine both game and tour on one day. There’s also a stand-alone Stadium Tour that includes a dressing room visit, a “spine-tingling” (no doubt, especially if you support Liverpool F.C.) walk down the players’ tunnel and a chance to play sports reporter in the press room.
At a Legends Q&A session, former Liverpool FC players regale you with their football memories and, on the Family Tour, kids can meet Mighty Red, the club’s giant bird mascot.
If you’re pressed for time but still need a football fix, visit just the stadium’s museum. There, the collection of football memorabilia recently donated by former club captain Steven Gerrard could come close to filling a stadium on its own.
Goodison Park Stadium
Liverpool’s other great football team and Liverpool FC rival, Everton, occupies one of the first purpose-built football grounds in the UK. Goodison — aka the “Grand Old Lady” to fans — also lays claim to hosting more top tier matches than any other English football stadium.
Unlike Anfield’s stadium tours, there’s only one version of the official tour at Goodison Park, and you can’t combine it with match day. But the four times-weekly “Goodison Experience” does include a dressing room visit and another thrilling walk down the players’ tunnel. If you don’t just want to imagine the roar of 40,000 fans (Everton supporters are called “Toffees”) when you emerge from that tunnel on to the Goodison Park stadium ground, come back and see an actual match.
A bonus if you do: starting two hours before kick-off, there is live music and appearances by former Everton players at a Fan Zone in one of the stadium car parks.
England’s Golf Coast
Fanatical fans in striped scarfs may be less in evidence, but the Liverpool region also happens to contain some of the finest, most scenic golf courses in Britain.
One of three Open Championship venues on the so-called Golf Coast, Royal Liverpool is among the country’s oldest seaside courses — some say the salt spray can concentrate your swing — and hosts an enviable collection of golf memorabilia. Nearby, there’s the wild Wirral peninsula to explore, not to mention the birthplace of the Beatles Liverpool itself: track down the real Penny Lane.
Of the two other championships links nearby, Royal Birkdale merits a visit for its breathtaking dune setting alone. A little further to the north, Royal Lytham & St Anne’s, setting for no fewer than 10 Open Championships, counts as one of the best places on the planet to swing a club.
