Hi, my name is Kerry. I’m a travel addict and a die-hard Liverpool supporter who has spent the last few years traveling full-time worldwide while bouncing from country to country. I’ve also traveled quite a bit to Liverpool and watched 20+ games at Anfield.
I’m introducing myself here because, for some of you, this might be the first blog post you read from me, and I want to reassure you that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to planning a trip to Liverpool! Many people ask how I can afford to travel so much, and you can read my story here: http://kerrysomewhere.com/i-have-traveled-to-over-50-countries-in-6-years-this-is-how//a>.
Since I’m not from the U.K., but I’m often posting about traveling to Liverpool on social media, I thought I would share how international supporters can get match tickets. Almost every Liverpool supporter knows how difficult it is to get match tickets, and many supporters assume it’s impossible unless they purchase through a scalper.
PLEASE DON’T EVER PURCHASE TICKETS FROM A TOUT/SCALPER. This is illegal, and there are legitimate options if you want to plan your dream trip to watch a match at Anfield. Keep reading below!
Purchasing a Trip Through Quest Sports Travel
My friend Ken Solomon has been running trips to Liverpool for years, and if you’re an international supporter, this is most likely your best bet for match tickets.
Ken runs his tours through Quest Sports Travel, and he offers an entire package, including hospitality tickets, a 4-star hotel stay in Liverpool, and transportation in the U.K., including airport transfers. These tours also incorporate local activities in Liverpool, such as private meetings with former Liverpool players, private meetings with local Liverpool FC sportswriters, Beatles tours, Peter Carney’s Soccer in the City tours (historical Liverpool matchday tours), and a visit to the iconic Anfield neighborhood bakery Homebaked.
If you book with Ken, your trip to Liverpool will include a Beatles tour and a Soccer in the City Tour, which will take you to many iconic sites around the city.
Ken’s tours usually run for 4-5 days, and I’ve participated in some of the activities he provides for his groups. One of the reasons I recommend Ken’s trips is because I know that they are great!
I recommend booking a trip with Ken because you are guaranteed match tickets for the games he advertises. Ken offers trips to Liverpool for Champions League and Premier League games. If you are an international supporter, these packages will be one of the only opportunities to watch a Champions League match.
Booking with Ken is your best ticket guarantee because it is difficult to secure tickets on your own as an international supporter. Once Ken announces his tour dates with a specific match, you are guaranteed match tickets if you book with him. On the other hand, if you try to secure match tickets directly through Liverpool hospitality (please read below to learn more about the hospitality experience at Anfield) or through your Liverpool membership, there is no guarantee. There’s a possibility, but from my experience, the options can be slim (please read below to understand the process of booking tickets on your own).
Moreover, since Ken offers a complete program for your trip to Liverpool, you won’t have to spend hours figuring out where to stay, how to get around, or what to see in the city. Ken does all of the hard work for you to ensure that you have the best possible trip to the best city in the world!
Ken usually offers multiple trips to Liverpool each season and announces his journeys on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Trips-to-Anfield-2292314100981380). The prices vary for each trip, so you’ll have to reach out to Ken or wait for his announcements if you’d like to ask about the price. You can also contact Ken on social media or at ksolomon@questsportstravel.com.
The photo below is with Ken and a few from his tour group for the match at Anfield against Manchester City in November 2019.
Purchasing Match Tickets Through your Local Official Liverpool Supporters Group (OLSC)
If you are a member of your local officially recognized Liverpool supporter’s group (OLSC) and have a membership directly with the club, you can apply for match tickets. As I mentioned above, it is often challenging to be able to secure match tickets on your own, but it’s not impossible.
Liverpool offers three membership tiers for international supporters: Full, Light, and International. You can check out all three memberships and what they offer here: https://www.liverpoolfc.com/membership/adult.
To qualify for match tickets, you must sign up for Full or Light membership. Do not sign up for the International membership if you want access to tickets, as this membership doesn’t qualify.
When you sign up for Full or Light membership, you will receive a membership number and place your membership I.D. under your local OLSC group to qualify for tickets. You will need to apply for match tickets through your group, and the committee of your supporter’s group will be able to assist you with this process.
As one of the co-founders of the OLSC group in Orlando, I am very familiar with the process that needs to take place to apply for match tickets. A few years ago, when I was chair of the group, I helped a few of our members apply for tickets and secured a few match tickets for myself. Keep reading below for more details of this process.
Below is the detailed process to apply for match tickets through your official LFC membership and your local OLSC:
- You’ll need to purchase a Light or Full membership from https://www.liverpoolfc.
com/membership/adult and place your membership under your local OLSC group. Unfortunately, unofficial Liverpool supporter groups won’t qualify for tickets. You can find a list of the officially recognized groups on the Liverpool website: https://www. liverpoolfc.com/fans/official- lfc-supporters-clubs. - Your local group’s committee should announce when the OLSCs can place ticket requests. For the first half of the season (August – December), each group will usually need to put in ticket requests sometime in July. For the second half of the season (January – May), the window to submit ticket requests usually takes place sometime in October. There is a hard deadline for these ticket requests, and your group’s committee might limit the number of ticket requests you are allowed to make per season. Just ask your chair/committee, as I usually put in a few ticket requests per season with my OLSC.
- Shortly after the ticket request is submitted, your supporter’s group will receive the notification as to which ticket requests were approved. Do not make travel plans until you know for sure because a lot of ticket requests are denied!
- Approximately four weeks before the game, Liverpool FC will contact your supporter’s group committee to inform them that the tickets need to be paid for. There is a 24-hour window for the tickets to be purchased, so ensure you stay on top of this. The payment must be made online, and your group’s committee can help you with this process. Your membership number is handy as the ticket is attached to this number.
Things to know and keep in mind:
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- Tickets are never guaranteed; whenever I’ve requested tickets through my OLSC, I have been denied more than approved (denied through LFC, not the OLSC).
- Only Premier League match tickets can be requested. OLSCs don’t have access to cup matches, Champions League, or away games.
- For some reason, I have always sat in the Kop or the Main Stand for every match ticket I’ve purchased with my membership. However, I have heard of others receiving OLSC tickets in the Anfield Road stand.
- The process I’m sharing in this post has been in place for several years. The rules may change anytime, and the process did shift a bit during the pandemic.
- You can purchase disability tickets upon request. Your OLSC committee can contact Liverpool FC to ask about these tickets.
- Your match ticket is attached to your membership number. Previously, supporters would swipe their membership cards to enter Anfield. However, LFC has a new process using Apple Pay or Google Pay. Once purchased, LFC will send instructions for accessing the ticket on your phone.
- If you are managing or are a part of an unofficial Liverpool supporters group, please feel free to contact me at kerrysomewhere@gmail.com, as I can give you some guidance to apply to become an OLSC.
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Purchasing Hospitality Match Tickets Directly Through Liverpool FC
I want to mention that I have only purchased hospitality match tickets once, and this was for one of the charity matches. However, I had a conversation with my friend Donna, who bought quite a few Liverpool hospitality tickets for Anfield over the years, and she provided me with many details I’ll share with you here.
It’s never a guarantee that you’ll be able to purchase hospitality tickets directly through the club, but it is a possibility. If you want to purchase hospitality tickets for a Premier League match at Anfield against, let’s say, Watford, you’ll most likely be able to get your hands on a ticket if you attempt to purchase this early on. If you want to purchase hospitality tickets for a match at Anfield against Manchester United, you’ll have difficulty getting your hands on a ticket as these sell out fast.
You can check the website at https://hospitality.liverpoolfc.com/ for availability, or you can make a call to Liverpool FC to purchase hospitality tickets. These tickets will typically cost about 200 to 320 pounds, depending on the game you want to attend. The hospitality match tickets against Manchester United or Chelsea will usually run about 320 pounds or even more.
If you purchase hospitality tickets directly through LFC, you can buy tickets for either Premier League games or Champions League games, and it’s not a requirement to have a membership with the club. I don’t know for sure, but I’m assuming if the tickets are available that anyone can purchase hospitality tickets for a cup match as well.
The hospitality ticket experience will vary, with some packages providing a sit-down meal, and some packages will provide a meet and greet with a former player. Other packages will only provide you with exclusive access to an area where you can purchase food and beverages without long lines and crowds of people that you’ll find in the food and beverage areas in other stands.
As far as I know, the hospitality tickets will have you sit in the new Main Stand or the King Kenny stand, but I can confirm that hospitality tickets are never located in the Kop.
When I purchased the hospitality tickets for the charity match, I sat on the upper level of the Main Stand, and I had access to the Carlsberg Dugout before the game started and at half-time. The Carlsberg Dugout is an exclusive area where hospitality ticket holders can purchase food and drink without the long lines and waits that match-goers will have in other stands.
The hospitality ticket option might be pricey, but it’s the best chance for many supporters to be able to watch a game.
Purchasing Tickets at Anfield on Match Day
I’ve heard that people can get a ticket for a match at Anfield every once in a while by waiting in line at the ticket window. I’ve never tried to purchase a ticket with this process, but I can imagine that the opportunity for this is becoming rare since the club’s popularity has been rising. Matches at Anfield are always sold out, and getting a ticket is challenging for almost everyone.
I’m doubtful someone would be able to walk up to Anfield to get a ticket, but I wanted to include this in case I’m incorrect! If anyone has experience purchasing a ticket at Anfield on matchday, please reach out to me at kerrysomewhere@gmail.com so I can update this post.
Purchasing Tickets Through a Tout/Scalper
I ask that you PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS.
If you see tickets listed for sale on a website other than the official Liverpool FC website, then steer clear of these tickets. The club does not permit the resale of tickets, and you could get in trouble if you purchase these tickets. I have heard of Liverpool FC confiscating ticket cards, and you don’t want to get involved in this situation.
Also, these tickets are almost always priced higher than face value because scalpers are only out to make a profit. I sat next to a supporter on the train once who was excited that he had his hands on a Champions League ticket. I asked him where he got his ticket and how much he paid, and I was shocked that he paid 500 pounds for his ticket! This should not happen as when you legitimately purchase a match ticket; you should expect only to spend 40-75 pounds (unless you buy a hospitality ticket).
Lastly, if you decide to purchase a ticket from a scalper, you risk purchasing a fake ticket. I have heard plenty of stories of foreign supporters buying tickets that aren’t valid.
If you found this article helpful, please share this blog post with anyone you know who wants to get their hands on a match ticket. I have also published an article on what to expect for the Anfield Stadium tour, and you can check that out here: http://kerrysomewhere.com/the-new-anfield-stadium-tour/.
Stay tuned as I’m sharing more blog posts over the next few weeks, including where to stay in Liverpool, what to explore in the city, what to expect on match day, the best pubs around Anfield, and more! YNWA
I am trying to plan a trip to Liverpool to see my beloved reds but it’s super expensive. Please help!
Out of all the packages, Ken’s package seems like the best package to grab!
Hello. This was very very very insightful, I really got so much wide knowledge.
Wow, a lot of information. thank you
As a supporter from India I hope to one day be able to watch a game at Anfield and make my dream come true this was really helpful !
1. If take a paid membership Is it possible to apply for tickets directly from Liverpool website without OLSC ?
2. Also is it safe to buy tickets through stubhub ?