In the latest edition of ‘My Liverpool Life’, Liverpool fan and match day vlogger Courtney Neary shares her unique way of supporting the Reds and showcasing the club to the world.
I started supporting Liverpool because…
I grew up in a family where everyone was red. My dad worked at Anfield and my grandfather used to stand in the old Boy’s Pen on The Kop when he was a kid.
As I grew older my mum and I moved away from Liverpool but that only strengthened my love for the club and the city.
My first game was…
Something I can’t remember! I was a baby when I started going to some FA Cup or youth games at Anfield.
The first game I do remember going to was Southampton at home in the Premier League in the 2012/13 season, which we won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Daniel Agger!
My favorite season rooting for the Reds was…
I have been supporting the club since I was born, but the season in which I started going to the game whenever I could was 2012/2013.
But if we talk about my favorite season, it was probably 2018/19.
Winning the European Cup for the sixth time, and coming so close in the league, felt like the start of this amazing new Liverpool team.
It also had sentimental reasons for me, since in January 2019 I lost my grandfather, so seeing You’ll Never Walk Alone sung by the players in front of the Kop after the game against Barcelona hit me hard.
It’s where my grandfather would be as a kid and then he saw me start going, and then we would always talk before or after the game about the game and the team.
Winning the Champions League felt like a last gift from him, he may not have seen them win it, but he saw the team win it for us, which was a nice feeling.
Plus, who can forget the famous Origi moments from that season? Last minute against Everton to ‘quick corner’, and the winner in Madrid! It is the season that I definitely have the best memories of.
I currently follow the club…
Wherever and whenever I can, if I can get a ticket and pay for the ride, they’ll see me there!
Liverpool is a unique club for…
No matter where you go, you will always find more fans! Or just “Liverpool!” or the random player names yelling at you if you have an LFC upstairs.
I always love making new friends at the game, home and away, and just talking about the Reds.
My best story involving the Reds is…
Being on The Kop with my dad for the biggest derby goal ever! It’s rare that my dad and I can get tickets together, let alone to one of the biggest games of the season.
But let’s go back to December 2, 2018. It’s the 96th minute, Pickford loses the ball and Divock Origi heads into the back of the net.
I will never forget watching people slowly walk out without taking their eyes off, waiting for the final whistle and when Divock scored they just hugged whoever was close to them and some even fell down the stairs or onto the seats.
My dad picked me up at the celebration and somehow I ended up with a big bruise on my leg from the celebrations, to this day I still don’t know how I got it!
I once met…
Allan Kennedy! He is probably the favorite player I have ever met. He loves to talk and tell stories about his time playing for the club.
If you ever get the chance to meet him, you can guarantee you’ll walk away 10 minutes later with a new story about his club.
What inspired your Liverpool YouTube channel and what are your aspirations/hopes for the channel?
Back in the Covid lockdown I was in Durham with my mum, step dad and little brother, during this time I really missed football and the city.
When I finally came back after the first lockdown, I realized I wouldn’t have been the only one.
It originally started with a live stream on Instagram on walks around Anfield or after the game to talk about it.
Then, when the fans finally returned to the stadiums last year, I decided to start adding matchday vlogs to my channel, one to bring the matchday experience to fans around the world, but also to have memories to cherish.
I hope with the channel to continue bringing these day experiences closer to people who can’t go, but also to show what you can do if you don’t have a ticket with all the pubs on the premises.
I would also like to contribute more of myself and show the other interests that I share with people on social networks. Like trips to places I love like Orlando, or places that are new to me.
And while I’m in new places, I plan to find and visit the fan clubs there!
If I could have dinner with three people from Liverpool past or present I would choose…
Bill Shankly – My grandfather always reminisced about the Shankly days whenever he talked to him before and after games. He went on to say that Shankly was the best manager. So I would love to sit down and have a chat with him about how he made Liverpool the club we know and love today.
Jurgen Klopp: The coach who brought back the good old days as Shankly. Klopp is up there with him and I would love to see them moving their chins together.
I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like with those two. Plus, she’d probably cry for Klopp (which Red wouldn’t after what he’s done here?) to which I imagine she’d have one of his hilarious witty remarks to make, followed by an infamous Klopp hug. I think Klopp would make you laugh throughout the meal.
Steven Gerrard: I think for my generation, Gerrard is and always will be our hero. He is the King Kenny of our era.
I would love to hear your stories from the locker room, from Istanbul to the title run in 2014, even the hat-trick in 2001, where I could tell you about me dancing on tables as a two-year-old in the pub after the finals!
* Thanks to Courtney for sharing ‘Liverpool Life’ here. You can find Courtney on Twitter @Courtney_Neary.
Read more fan stories in our My Liverpool Life series here
