The English Football League was formed in 1888, and on September 8, Anfield laid the ground for the first football league game in its history. The home team did not wear red, as is often the case today. They wore the blue and white stripe of Everton FC.

This marked the beginning of what would become a huge name in world football: Anfield.

The man behind Everton FC, and the owner of the Anfield ground, was John Houlding, a local brewer and pub owner, local council member and later mayor of the city of Liverpool.

In 1892, however, a dispute broke out between Houlding and the Everton board. Tensions had been building for some time, as Everton’s board felt that Houlding was profiting heavily from beer sales on match day, and the final straw was broken when the rent for land was raised.

Everton FC left Anfield and moved into their new home at Goodison Park, leaving behind a handful of players. The same week, Houlding founded Liverpool FC on 15 March, with William E. Barclay as club secretary and John McKenna as team president and manager.

Liverpool FC were not allowed immediate access to the football league and began life in the Lancashire League. Their first competitive game was played at Anfield in front of a handful of spectators, while Everton were playing a game the same day in front of a crowd of 10,000. The rivalry was on!

Liverpool FC won their first match, a friendly against Rotherham, with an impressive 7-1 score. Their first league match was won 8–0, and they comfortably won the Lancashire League, as well as the Liverpool District Cup and Reserves Cup. Quite an achievement for a club of less than 12 months.

Houlding adopted Liverpool’s city colour, red, for the game shirts in 1894, and the liver bird on the club’s crest in 1904. The club’s motto “You’ll never walk alone” was later added.

This is how 3 men, in 1892, founded what would later become the most successful club in the history of English football: Liverpool FC.