SOUTH SEE THE WAY FORWARD
I’VE been thrilled to see the illustrious name of South Liverpool FC enjoying a renaissance in Step 6 circles. ‘South’ were originally founded in April 1935. The mantra was to become a third Merseyside professional team, thereby complementing Everton and Liverpool.
Accordingly, they unsuccessfully applied for election to the Football League on 10 separate occasions in a period preceding automatic promotion.
Alas during later times, use of the beloved Holly Park ground in Garston was lost in 1989. Desperate subsequent financial difficulties caused South Liverpool to fold two years afterwards relinquishing Northern Premier League status.
Nevertheless, die hard supporters swiftly relaunched their cherished club. And then South were eventually promoted to the North West Counties League First Division North in 2021 as West Cheshire League champions. They are now based on a 3G pitch at the Jericho Lane Community Football Hub, which opened in 2018.
Keen to learn more, I travelled up last month to watch South host Lincoln United in the Isuzu FA Vase Fourth Round. It finished 1-1 and the visitors triumphed 5-3 on penalties.
Chairman Gary Langley told me: “Joining the NWCL three years ago was a major step for us. We had almost kept our head down around the local leagues winning everything available at that level.
“Then a point arrived where we saw other nearby amateur sides take the leap and go semipro in Step 6. So we had a big decision to make. We consulted numerous people including the NWCL and other teams. Our director of football Martin Ryman felt we had to give it a go.
“A great deal of work was put in over a season and a half when the new Jericho Lane Hub was being launched. Backed by Liverpool City Council and hub operators Leisure United, we were able to complete our NWCL application. The reaction once this was announced was entirely positive from fans, players and the public alike.
“We’re in our third year at Step 6 and we’ve improved
each season by way of our league position. The recent FA Vase run was a huge boost. We’re currently challenging for promotion although this is an extremely tough division to climb out of.”
In addition, Langley reflected on South’s fascinating history and the problems precipitating their previous demise. I was enthralled to hear all these details.
Arsonists
“We relished many past highs,” he added. “Lifting the Welsh Cup in 1939 was massive back in the day. Also repeatedly applying to join the Football League was especially significant. It showed we were leading the way among Non-League sides across the 1930’s and 1940’s. Furthermore, we attracted nationwide publicity for playing a trailblazing barefooted Nigeria international X1 at Holly Park in 1949.
“Yet sadly in the 1980’s, Holly Park was subject to a lot of vandalism. South had a clubhouse funding the team but that succumbed to arsonists burning it down.
“Therefore we just didn’t possess the resources to continue running Holly Park. We ended up losing the ground and sharing at Bootle before almost disappearing forever.
“It was the foresight of committee members and volunteers which got South Liverpool FC (1991) immediately off the ground. They had kept a youth team operating to uphold the continuity and affiliation necessary to ensure South’s legacy remained pretty much intact.
“So if you look at what quantifies success, keeping
South going through the dark years has to count as our most crucial club victory so far. We re-established the adult teams very quickly but led a slightly nomadic existence for a while. Despite that new players came in, ex-players stayed in touch and the supporters have been present throughout.”
So what does the future hold for South Liverpool? Is ascending beyond Step 6 and sustaining a higher standard of football possible? Langley was quietly confident.
“Promotion to the NWCL Premier would be nice and is a natural focus. Jericho Lane really suits us. We maintain a good working relationship with the operators and the City Council and we could accommodate Step 5 action there.
“Ultimately, it would bring the story full circle if we could renew NPL (Step 4) membership at some point and why not? If we do return to the NPL, we would analyse what is required at the hub to meet the respective ground grading.
“We’re not daft though. We know we don’t own Jericho Lane so maybe long-term we will need to develop our own site. It would certainly have to be a community project for the benefit of all – not just South Liverpool FC – even if we do lead on it. Our overall aim is to deliver affordable and accessible football in the city for every age group and ability.
“Yes, winning results on the pitch can always be craved. However, survival in preserving the famous South Liverpool title plus providing opportunities for kids to drag themselves away from computer games are probably more important.”