Liverpool is coming to America.
In a television first, Liverpool and FOX Soccer have teamed up to offer viewers what they have never seen before — an all-access look at one of the world’s greatest clubs. Cameras have never been allowed inside the hallowed locker rooms of Anfield, home to greats such as Ian Rush, Steven Gerrard, Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish — until now.
A six-episode series, “Our Liverpool: Never Walk Alone,” set to begin airing in the fall of 2012, will take fans inside the team’s attempt to win the FA Cup this year through the start of next year’s Premier League season.
Produced by FOX Soccer and helmed by Emmy Award-winning producer Scott Boggins (formerly of HBO’s groundbreaking “24/7” series) the show will offer fans exclusive and unparalleled access to one of the world’s greatest clubs.
Why now? It’s “good for the sport,” said Tom Werner, the chairman of Liverpool.
“My point of view is that American fans are used to documentary coverage like this, and whether it is ‘Hard Knocks’ or ‘The Franchise,’ these kinds of programs are good for the fans and good for the sport,” Werner said. “Our fans want to know more about who these players are and what their lives are like off the pitch. I just think it strengthens the connections people have to our players and helps the popularity of the sport.
“I’m excited that FOX is doing it because they get the global reach of football,” Werner continued. “I think sometimes Americans think the sun rises and sets on the Super Bowl, but soccer is a global game that transcends that. We’re interested in fans around the world, and I think this will gain a lot of supporters for Liverpool in the USA.”
Liverpool's partner in the project is equally as excited.
“This is going to be a truly remarkable series for every soccer fan on Earth, watching the inner workings of one of the world’s truly great clubs, and seeing things no one outside the inner sanctum has seen or experienced before,” said David Hill, chairman and CEO of FOX Sports Media Group. “Liverpool FC is cherished by its community and hundreds of millions of fans worldwide. Working with a team so unique, and wrapped in so much history, is a natural fit for a project of this magnitude and uniqueness.”
“Our Liverpool: Never Walk Alone” begins deep inside the club at the end of the 2011-12 season, with the team chasing its eighth FA Cup title against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 5. Episodes will continue through the club’s July tour of North America. FOX Soccer’s crew will follow everything on and off the field as Liverpool prepares for the upcoming Barclays Premier League season and plays the first few matches of its 2012-13 campaign. Throughout the FOX journey, Liverpool’s enduring traditions will be highlighted, along with the club’s unparalleled history and its heartfelt place in the fabric of the local community.
Nothing is off-limits, according to Werner.
“We have offered complete access to Liverpool,” he said. “The one thing we have asked is that we don’t show strategy information that would be helpful to our competitors, but otherwise, I hope we can show fans the complete life of a soccer player at our club. These are charismatic people and I think the audience will be fascinated with what these guys do when they’re not playing.”
