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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Lottie Gibbons

The people giving Liverpool FC fans a place to call home across the world

Picking up Scouse, singing with your mates and having a match-day pint outside Anfield are all rites of passage for Liverpool FC fans.

But what do you do if you're not a local, in fact, what happens if you're not even in the UK? Well, you go to one of many Liverpool-themed bars and pubs abroad.

From South Korea to the US and Thailand, Liverpool fans have a place to call home around the world. We spoke to the owners who created these sacred places.

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Carragher's in New York City, US

One of the best-known Liverpool FC bars is Carragher's in New York City. Carragher's is full of paintings, charcoal drawings, signed photographs and memorabilia from players.

However, it's also a second home for owner Brian Mclaughlin. Brian, who is originally from County Tyrone in Ireland, opened Carragher's in 2015.

Its creation came about after a visit to the Big Apple by Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler. Brian said: "What happened was Liverpool came over in 2014 on a trip to America.

Crowds outside Carraghers in New York City (Brian Mclaughlin)

"We had to meet Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler in the Manchester United bar because of the lack of facilities of the Liverpool supporters club at the time. It didn't have a restaurant and it wasn't big enough to contain all the Liverpool fans."

Brian added: "I felt bad for the fans coming here, thinking that LFC weren’t well supported enough to have their own place or somewhere worthy of the amount of supporters that we actually have."

Having owned several bars in New York City, Brian decided to combine his passion for hospitality and the Reds to create Carragher's - obviously named after Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher. Brian said: "On that trip, I got speaking to a guy from the 23 Foundation, Mike Lepic. I was telling him that I was thinking about opening a Liverpool pub.

"The next day I actually had a dream the bar was called Carragher’s. It’s stupid and corny and cheesy but it’s true.

Jamie Carragher at Carragher's (Brian Mclaughlin)

"He said do you want me to ask Jamie would he mind if I called it after him and Mike went back to Liverpool and a couple of days later I got a thumbs up from a phone number I didn’t recognise... it was Jamie Carragher giving me the thumbs up."

Since Carragher's opening, the pub has been visited by Bruce Grobbelaar, Alan Kennedy, Graeme Souness, Stan Collymore, Kenny Dalglish, Luis García and many other Liverpool players.

But for Brian, it's the combination of New York natives and visiting Liverpool fans that give Carragher's its special atmosphere. He said: "A lot of times, if we have Liverpool fans in New York, and say they are here for a week, we see them five, six times or more.

“Some people actually deliberately book their hotels near us knowing they can start and end the day on a high note. They are just so happy because they have this safe haven in the big city where they get to meet the fantastic, genuine bartenders and fellow Liverpool fan customers.

"They have something here in NYC that no other football team nor any city has….. a place dedicated to them. It’s a nice launching pad to go to some other places and come back."

Brian added: "Carragher’s is different because the rest of the bars you open to be a business, to try and make a living.

"This is different, this is Liverpool, this is your life and it’s the old saying if you do what you love then you’ll never work a day in your life and I’ve found something that I completely adore and my dedicated staff feel same way."

Anfield Pub in Lucerne, Switzerland

For Astrid and Paco running a Liverpool FC pub is fulfilling their childhood dreams. Anfield Pub in the medieval Swiss city of Lucerne was the creation of Roger, who died in a boating accident.

Paco said: "Roger, the founder of the pub, who sadly passed away in a boating accident, had been a Liverpool FC fan since childhood.

"He had already run several pubs and when a new opening came up. He decided to name the pub the Anfield Pub and run it as a sports bar."

Anfield Pub took direct inspiration from Liverpool. Paco said: "The Anfield pub in Lucerne was built with the same stones that are used to build most buildings in Liverpool."

Anfield Pub in Lucerne, Switzerland (Peter Bruendler)

It is decorated with various murals created with reference to Liverpool FC. There are also various souvenirs that were bought directly in Liverpool. Therefore, it's no surprise that Anfield Bar attracts every sports fan.

Paco said: "There is a large fan community in Lucerne and the surrounding area. There is also a fan association, the Swiss Kopites, which always meets in the Anfield Pub. The Swiss Kopites are not yet an officially recognised fan club, unfortunately, but they have been trying for some time to be recognised by Liverpool FC as an OLSC and we hope that this will soon be possible.

" It's a very good atmosphere in the Anfield Pub. It's mainly Liverpool fans in the pub, but fans of the opponents are always welcome.

"The fans know each other and sit together and cheer for Liverpool FC and there are intense discussions about the game, but they are always peaceful."

Phoenix Landing in Boston, US

Kevin Treanor, from Monaghan in Ireland, has a "special entrance for Scousers" at his pub, Phoenix Landing, in Boston.

Kevin said: "We opened in September 1995, I have been a Liverpool fan since I was a kid and cried when we lost to Arsenal in FA Cup in 1971. So I grew up loving Liverpool."

Phoenix Landing in Boston (Phoenix Landing)

However, in contrast, Kevin experienced the highs of Liverpool in his very-own pub. He said: "The best day ever at the bar was the comeback against AC Milan.

"The atmosphere is easily the best of any bar in the USA. People come from the UK and Liverpool every week and complain that they can't get in."

Bonghwangdang in Seoul, South Korea

However, it's not just in Europe and the US where Liverpool FC-themed bars are popular. In fact, you'll meet some of Liverpool's biggest fans at Bonghwangdang in Seoul.

Walking into Bonghwangdang is like walking into a mini-Liverpool, with Liver Birds, red neon signs and player shirts adorning the walls. So it's no surprise to learn Seongmin Kim, the owner of Bonghwangdang, took direct inspiration from when he lived in the city.

He said: " When I was in Liverpool, I was totally into the pubs around Anfield, especially the pub called The Park.

Bonghwangdang in Seoul (bonghwangdang1892/Instagram)

"The atmosphere there was crazy on match day. I thought it would be great if Liverpool fans in Korea could be together and support Liverpool.

"Some of the matches start at 2am and 4am in Korea so sometimes it's hard to support together. But I wanted to make a place where Liverpool FC fans can come and support regardless of when the match starts. That's why I opened this pub."

Seongmin said: "There are many Liverpool FC fans out there in Seoul who are eager to support for their team. The fans don’t care when the football game starts, they manage to adjust their schedule to the league timetable and support Liverpool in their own, unique way.

"These supporters can be found anywhere in their Liverpool uniforms on match days, pubs like Bonghwangdang, college districts such as Sinchon and Yeonnam-Dong are places like The Kop."

Red Lion Pub in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Kevin Hunt, from Kirkby, was also inspired by his time in Liverpool to open a pub for fans after moving to Thailand.

He said: "I have been a Red for almost 60 years after my father took me to Anfield when I was about eight. I have lived in Chiang Mai for 33 years with my wife Ging and Red Lion opened 25 years ago."

Kevin Hunt, his wife Ging and their grandson Obum at The Red Lion pub in Chiang Mai (Kevin Hunt)

Chiang Mai draws in travellers, with more than 10.8 million people visiting in 2019. It's important for Kevin to make sure that his pub caters for everyone.

He said: "Liverpool truly do have supporters all over the world, so match-day with Liverpool game on my big screen projectors has Thais, English, Norwegian, plenty of different nationalities."

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