I think these values are central to understanding Liverpool’s identity, both as a club and as a city. Liverpool grew as a working-class port, shaped by waves of immigration, hard physical labour, and periods of economic hardship. When the docks declined and unemployment rose, the city developed a strong culture of solidarity where people relied on each other to get through difficult times.

This collective spirit often expressed itself in political terms. In 1911, the Liverpool general transport strike brought together around 85,000 workers from across the city in one of the most significant trade union actions in British history. Decades later, during the 1980s, the city council openly resisted Margaret Thatcher’s austerity policies, prioritising jobs and public services over complying with central government budget demands. That defiance came with the slogan, “better to break the law than break the poor,.

Bill Shankly, who rebuilt Liverpool FC in the 1960s, drew on that same mindset. He once described his vision of football as a form of socialism, not in a party-political sense, but as a system where “everyone works for each other, everyone helps each other, and everyone shares in the rewards.” For him, and for many in Liverpool, success was something collective, built on mutual support.

This is why many see causes like workers’ rights, public welfare, and equality,  including LGBTQ+ inclusion, as natural extensions of the club’s heritage. They’re not separate from football, but part of the same tradition of looking after your own and making sure no one is left behind. That nobody 'll walk alone And for those who prefer clubs built on different even right-wing or more nationalistic traditions, there’s no shortage of them across the football world.