Falling in Love with Liverpool: A Story of a Norwegian Football Fan
For some, falling in love with Liverpool happens from birth or early childhood, but for Kjell Yri, it was a gradual realisation that was always meant to be. In the mid-1980s, Kjell finally saw the light and felt a new sense of belonging and purpose. Here, he shares his story of how he became a devoted fan of the Reds.
From Norway to Spurs
Kjell grew up in Norway, where there was no television and the only news of English football was to do with the football pools. His big brother’s friend had a special respect for Sunderland Football Club, and Kjell began to take an interest in English football.
Kjell moved to England in 1968 and went to his first English game at White Hart Lane, watching Spurs play Liverpool. Despite this, his lukewarm support for Tottenham began to dwindle as he started finding his way round London’s nightspots.
Scouse Connection
Kjell was captivated by England and its culture, but football had not yet become important to him. However, he began to take notice of his classmate’s enthusiasm for Man United and Jimmy Greaves’ success with Tottenham.
It was also now that Kjell started to realise the connection between Liverpool and his Viking ancestors. He knew that ‘Scouse’ comes from the Norwegian word ‘lapskaus’, a traditional stew popular with Norwegian merchant marine sailors who called in at the port of Liverpool.
A Love That Blossomed
In 1977, Kjell migrated to New Zealand with his family. After a few years in the wine industry, he started a new job in Auckland in 1984. Here, the contagious passion of two football-following colleagues led him to take up reading English football news and watching the weekly highlights package on television.
It was impossible to ignore Liverpool. Dalglish and Rush were running rampant, winning virtually everything. Kjell read about Bill Shankly and the Boot Room and found it fascinating. Gradually, it all fell into place – the Vikings, the lapskaus, the Fab Four, Anfield, King Kenny – and Kjell was hooked on the Reds.
Conclusion
Kjell has been a loyal Liverpool supporter ever since, and although he has never set foot in the city of Liverpool, he remains hopeful of visiting Anfield one day. He continues to admire from afar and says that ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ still triggers goosebumps.
Kjell’s story is a testament to the power of football and how it can bring people together from all over the world. It is a reminder that football is more than just a game – it is a way of life.