A.F.C. Liverpool
Affordable F.C. Liverpool is a semi-professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club were formed in 2008 by 1,000 supporters of Liverpool Football Club; a not-for-profit organisation, it is run on a one-member, one-vote system.[2] They are currently members of the North West Counties League Premier Division and play at Marine’s Rossett Park.
After plans were announced in February 2008,[3] A.F.C Liverpool were established by Alun Parry in March 2008 for Liverpool fans who had been priced out of Premier League football,[2] and who were unhappy with Liverpool F.C. being owned by American businessmen George Gillett and Tom Hicks, adopting the same colours as Liverpool. The new club applied to enter Division Two of the North West Counties League for the 2008–09 season,[4] with their place in the now-renamed Division One confirmed in June.[5] They also agreed a groundshare with Prescot Cables to play at Valerie Park.[5] By mid-July the club had attracted around 1,000 members.[6]
The club played their first match on 16 July, a friendly against St Helens Town at Ashton Town’s Edge Street. In front of a crowd of around 600, the game ended in a 1–1 draw, with Martin Crowder scoring A.F.C. Liverpool’s first-ever goal.[7] The club’s first league match on 9 August saw them beat Darwen 5–0.[8] Their first season saw the club win the Division One Trophy with a 1–0 win over Padiham, whilst they finished fourth in the league, missing out on promotion by four points.[9]
In 2009–10 the club finished fifth in Division One.[10] They also played in the FA Vase for the first time, losing 2–1 at home to Dinnington Town in the second qualifying round.[10] However, they retained the Division One Trophy.[11] In 2010–11 the club entered the FA Cup for the first time, losing 4–1 at Hemsworth Miners Welfare in the extra-preliminary round. In the league they finished fourth, earning promotion to the Premier Division after Rossendale United were expelled from the league and third-placed Holker Old Boys declined promotion.[12] However, they failed to retain the Division One Trophy, losing 3–2 after extra time in the final by Atherton Collieries.[13]
