Liverpool, the Grand National and the rumbling discord around Merseyside’s biggest sporting day

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Earlier in the day a few miles away I Am Maximus won the Grand National at Aintree Getty Images Share full articleOn a clear day, two of Liverpool’s most famous sporting venues are visible on approach to the city. You need to be driving on the M58 towards Netherton and Litherland to see Anfield, the home of Liverpool FC, shimmering in the middle distance. But much closer is the spectre of Aintree Racecourse, with its vast grandstands.  This westward snapshot is a reminder that Liverpool is a relatively small place. It might not be London, New York or Los Angeles, but on weekends like the one that has just passed, it can feel like Liverpool is at the centre of the sporting universe.  Thousands of tourists started arriving as early as Wednesday for the Grand National Festival at Aintree, with its showpiece race on Saturday starting just an hour and a half before kick-off at Anfield, where the Premier League champions Liverpool faced Fulham. The hosting of these events stimulated an atmosphere around the venues and beyond. But just below the surface of each spectacle was a sense of discord because of the rising costs of attending them. Locally, especially, there are concerns that the spectators who help bring about the atmosphere and spirit that inspires the global reputations of Aintree and Liverpool FC are being taken for granted and are in danger of being priced out.   At Aintree, when you are there at the finishing post, it is easy to put aside such issues just as a chase reaches its conclusion. There is something thrilling about the build-up of noise that whooshes towards you and is unique to the sport, and maybe the setting, because everyone can see the end is in sight, but no one knows for certain what is going to happen, even if the leader is galloping away. On Saturday, one of the favourites, I am Maximus, won the National. After collecting their winnings from the row of bookmakers that flank the perimeter of the course, the reality of Aintree in 2026 was served up in the form of a large glass of Pimm’s — available for £17.25 ($23.20). Hungry? Caterers were selling duck salad bowls for £13.95 ($18.75). Alternatively, there was the option of a basic hot dog with ketchup and mustard for £11.95 ($16). Aintree, at its fullest, is like a big Scouse wedding: nearly everyone — wherever they are from — pulls on their best suit or dress, money does not seem to matter, alcohol is absorbed in enormous quantities, and a raucous time is had. The weather did not help on this occasion, but even in the miasma of booze and whatever else was being consumed, there were grumbles about entrance fees (as much as £69 — $93 — in the tattersalls) because those without a brolly spent big parts of the day trying to find shelter from the cold, driving rain. The organisers are not meteorologists, but The Jockey Club, which owns Aintree Racecourse, can do something about price points. Earlier in the week, an online debate had centred around the cost of lager, with a pint from the Coors tent coming in at £7.95 ($10.70). While this sort of figure might be standard in a London pub, the health of Liverpool’s economy is not as rude. And yet throughout Saturday trade was consistent, with many of those queuing at the bar convincing themselves that the festival only comes around once a year. One racegoer from Ireland, otherwise retired, who spends much of his life attending meetings, told me that organisers need to find the balance between financial sustainability and accessibility, but risk alienating core supporters like him with each price increase.  There was an overriding feeling that for anyone with a casual interest in racing hoping for an affordable day out, Aintree has become too expensive. But for those treating it as a high-end social event, the prices are typical of elite hospitality in British sport.  Given there is no form of organised public opposition, pushing hard against what is happening, it seems less likely Aintree’s economic direction will deviate too much from its current path. But the dynamic is somewhat different across the city. To reach Anfield from Aintree by train, you have to bypass the football stadium, get off at Sandhills and veer backwards, either by a specially-arranged bus or by foot for half an hour or so uphill.  The slightly awkward journey is a reminder that Liverpool as a city is not particularly well serviced by public transport. Also that the home of Liverpool FC, despite its relevance both in terms of sport and as an economic driver across the region, is not as easy to reach as you might imagine — especially if you are unfamiliar with the terrain. In fairness, it would not be easy to insert a rail track from the city centre, for example, to Anfield, roughly three and a half miles away. The area passes through Everton Valley and is populated by working-class communities who largely live in terraced housing, more modern, once council-owned developments, and a few high-rises.  Yet access to Anfield these days is far from straightforward on several levels, with geography and infrastructure just a few of the things to consider. A system introduced by the club a few years ago made more or less everything about Anfield a digital operation. That created new challenges, especially for older fans who were unfamiliar with the technology and preferred to deal in cash.  In targeting touts, supporters had to sign up to a scheme whereby the club could monitor where tickets were moving. But this eradicated spontaneity from the ‘match-day experience’ of locals, who used to be able to make a late decision around attendance, allowing, perhaps, a friend of a friend of a friend to find their way in.  Now, you have to plan much further ahead, even if you live just a few miles away from the ground. Some supporters say that the shift has made the simple act of following their team feel illicit because it is easier to share tickets with close friends through burner phones, but they are forbidden by the club because of touts abusing the same culture by encouraging multiple entries. A group of supporters, who had dashed from Aintree to Anfield after the completion of the National, were becoming stressed about the prospect of queues outside the stadium ahead of kick-off against Fulham. “Supporting Liverpool has become a graft,” one of them told me. His season ticket was in the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand, the newest at the venue. “Queueing has been a nightmare since the place opened,” he suggested.  Extra security checks have slowed the entry process down across the ground, with the club encouraging fans to arrive earlier. Yet this supporter is not alone in thinking the problems at the Anfield Road Stand have been more pronounced because, rather than additional turnstiles, so much of the space underneath the structure has instead been taken up by a ‘fanzone’ — which usually opens four hours ahead of games. All of this has had the potential to hit the pub economies around Anfield hard. The hour before kick-off used to be the busiest time of the week. Critically-minded Liverpool supporters have noted that Anfield being busier in this period increases the possibility of money being spent on the concourses of the stadium instead. Except, against Fulham, supporters were pushing back against that prospect for other reasons. The “No pound in the ground” campaign was backed by numerous supporter groups after the club revealed that ticket prices would rise over the next three years, a move that could amount to a 13 per cent increase by 2029. In an email to season ticket and membership holders on Friday, Liverpool’s chief executive officer, Billy Hogan, argued that match-day operating costs at Anfield have risen by 85 per cent over the past decade, a period in which ticket prices have increased by just four per cent. “We have a responsibility to run the club sustainably…” Hogan wrote. The email ignored the context that the relatively small increase from 2016 onwards was triggered initially by a freeze following the humiliation of a walk-out at Anfield over ultimately failed plans to price a small number of tickets at £77 ($104), as well as the impact of a pandemic that saw fans locked out of stadiums.  Nor did it mention that across the same period, Liverpool’s revenues have grown by around 133 per cent. Given that owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the Massachusetts-based venture capital firm that also owns the Boston Red Sox, purchased Liverpool for £230.4m ($310m) and have since brought their investment to around £513.2m ($690m), while some valuations of the club stand at £4bn ($5.4bn), it is understandable why a ticket hike that stands to make Liverpool £1.2m ($1.6m) sits so uncomfortably. FSG have been quick to monetise the image of Anfield, making supporters seem like they are an active participant in the club’s success. In a recent interview with Peter Crouch, former manager Jurgen Klopp suggested the “superpower of Liverpool FC” is togetherness, yet FSG seem to be testing that idea, while threatening to normalise price rises in a move that will put an end to any debate about ticket costs at a time when football generally is taking a bigger chunk out of the average person’s disposable income.  According to the Spirit of Shankly supporters’ group, 93 per cent of members who responded to a survey about the rises are against them, and 75 per cent are willing to protest. Against Fulham, where the Kop was stripped of the banners that usually decorate the grandstand, supporters carried a very simple message that read: “No to ticket price increases,” but there is a sense that this will go further if FSG do not listen. “It’s madness to go through this pain for £1.2m ($1.6m),” the fan sitting next to me said during a 2-0 victory. “It doesn’t improve the image of the owners, it doesn’t really improve their business, and it won’t make the team more competitive, despite what some people are saying.” Just as much as the money might amount to single player’s monthly wage, it does not even cover the cost of the yearly salary of one director who earned £2m ($2.7m) according to the latest accounts released by a club that has struggled this season to the extent that Champions League qualification would feel like an achievement. Some fans think everyone should be pulling together at this moment, creating the sort of “famous Anfield atmosphere” that helps to push the team forward. Others might conclude that attempting to push this through at a critical stage of a difficult campaign indicates there is a disconnect between the workings inside the club and the outside world. If FSG doubles down, Liverpool will become the first Premier League club to impose a multi-year rise on their fans. It is fair to assume that other clubs will follow this model, because that is how owners tend to argue their way out of things these days. Which English club participating in the Champions League, for example, will follow Arsenal in creating a ‘Category A Plus’ ticket from the quarter-final stages next season, with a starting price point of £168 ($225)? At the back-end of last week, Merseyside neighbours Everton announced increases of their own, with an immediate 10 per cent rise for some supporters. While Everton’s Fan Advisory Board argued that the changes represented a “preference for short-term financial gain at the expense of loyalty”, the club tried to reason that the move was necessary to give Everton the chance of catching up with rivals with higher turnovers.  As Liverpool have reminded us, however, that will not stop these clubs from attempting to drive even bigger margins. Beneath this never-ending arms race and cycle of vicious self-justification, life becomes harder for any normal fan. Those in control of the most powerful sporting institutions in Liverpool — whether it’s football or horse racing — stand accused of understanding the cost of everything but the value of nothing. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Simon Hughes is a senior writer who joined The Athletic from The Independent in 2019. His latest book Chasing Salah was released in 2024. He has also written There She Goes, a modern social history of Liverpool as a city Follow Simon on Twitter @Simon_Hughes__